This Valentine’s Day, you can spread the love by giving delicious cacao-rich Keto Zone Chocolate Brownies.
These low-carb brownies are gooey and chocolatey.
Unlike traditional high sugar-brownies, they spread the love by promoting brain, heart, and whole-body health.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
*If unable to find sugar-free chips, chop a sugar-free 80% cacao bar
Nutrition information: 206 calories, 20 gm fat, 5 gm carbs, 3 gm net carbs, 3 gm protein
Recipe adapted from gimmedelicious.com
Using cacao is a great way to spread the love this Valentine’s Day. In these brownies, the cacao:
Cacao contains nitric oxide, which increases artery dilation and blood flow to reduce blood pressure especially in older adults and those with hypertension (1, 2).
What’s more, cacao may reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. One review of over 157,000 people showed that higher chocolate consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and death (3).
Next, cacao reduces inflammation, which is vitally important to heart health. Cacao’s flavanols reduce proinflammatory cytokines while increasing anti-inflammatory ones (4).
Lastly, cacao fights oxidative stress with more than 300 different antioxidant compounds (this is 20 times the antioxidant power of blueberries). Since deadly artery plaques require oxidation, cacao’s antioxidants can fight this process and reduce the risk of blockage.
Cacao contains health-benefitting compounds called flavanols. They cross the blood-brain barrier to affect brain health and mood (5).
Phenethylamine (PEA) is one of cacao’s flavanols. It has natural pain- and stress-reducing properties. It also increases endorphins to improve focus.
In addition, cacao can improve mood by raising serotonin levels. It also contains theobromine, a mild stimulant sometimes used in the treatment of depression.
Lastly, cacao can increase blood flow by up to 10% to the brain, improving brain health and cognition in those with and without a deficit, indicating a potential use for those suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
When cells are more sensitive to insulin, they are healthier. They deal with carbohydrates better, require less insulin to store them, and store less fat.
The flavanols improve insulin sensitivity, and they:
Sure, cacao has a small amount of caffeine. But even more important, cacao can fight fatigue with its potent energizing nutrients including:
In fact, a small study from London showed a decrease in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome symptoms after 8 weeks of cacao treatment (7).
Individual components of cacao have been shown to induce cancer cell death and prevent the spread of cancer cells in test tube studies (8).
In animal studies, scientists have reduced breast, pancreatic, prostate, liver and colon cancer, and leukemia with cacao components (8).
Keto Zone Chocolate Brownies are the perfect treat to spread the love this Valentine’s. They are low-carb, cacao-rich, and whole-body healthy.
This looks amazing. My daughter and I are going to give these delicious brownies a go. But first, one important question: is the cocoa powder sugar free?
Yes, raw cacao powder (the best form) is sugar-free. If you use cocoa (this is just a bit more processed than cacao), look at the label to make sure it doesn’t have sugar added in ingredients or on nutrition label. Enjoy!
HI Will,
You can use any unsweetened cocoa powder you get from food stores.I hope this helps!
As a former cancer patient, I want to lose weight, should I do a detox before I start the Keto zone duet?
Hi Barbara,
Either will work great! You can start with our detox recipes as these are great for the body and will sort of jump-start your new nutrition lifestyle. Then, move right into the Keto Zone. You can do it!
Hi Barbara, Thank you so much for your question, and I am sorry for my delayed response. Did you get started? Our 21-day detox program is a great jumpstart! You can use it, or dive into the keto zone. Take care!
HI Barbara,
Unfortunately we can not give any medical advise based on your previous health condition.We recommend you to consult your physician before using these supplements.I hope this helps!