60-Second Triple Chocolate Mug Cake for Valentines

Why Triple Your Chocolate this Valentine’s Day?

Healthy chocolate recipes, especially those using raw cacao, do more than delight the taste buds.

They are good for you. Really.

A little raw cacao can:

• Affect brain health and mood (1). Cacao’s flavanols, including phenethylamine (PEA), deliver natural pain- and stress-reducing benefits while increasing endorphins to improve focus. What’s more, cacao improves mood by raising serotonin levels and contains theobromine, a mild stimulant sometimes used in the treatment of depressed moods.
• Increase blood flow to the brain. Better blood flow supports brain health and cognition in those with and without cognitive deficit. How does raw cacao increase flow? Cacao’s flavanols increase blood levels of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide dilates arteries and improves blood flow.
• Support heart health while discouraging inflammation. Again, nitric oxide increases artery dilation and blood flow, thereby reducing blood pressure especially in older adults and those with hypertension (2, 3). In fact, some have found that higher chocolate consumption is associated with a significantly lower risk of heart disease, stroke and death (4).
• Reduce fatigue. In addition to a small amount of caffeine, cacao delivers anti-fatigue nutrients including iron, magnesium, and nitric oxide. One small study from London showed a decrease in fatigue related ailments and symptoms after 8 weeks of cacao treatment (5).
• Support insulin sensitivity and healthy blood sugars. 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 in cacao support insulin sensitivity by slowing down carbohydrate digestion and absorption in the gut, improving insulin secretion and stimulating the uptake of sugar out of the blood into the muscle (6).
• Discourage free radical damage. Unfortunately, most every biochemical reaction, our environment, our foods, and our lifestyles can increase free radical damage. However, when we consume antioxidants like those is raw cacao, we consume compounds that neutralize free radicals and work to heal cells. In fact, cacao has more than 300 different antioxidant chemical compounds and more than 20 times the antioxidant power of blueberries. And while other foods antioxidants diminish with time, cacao has demonstrated stability in samples over 75 years old (7)!

Even More Valentine’s Goodness

In addition, our 60-Second Keto Valentines Triple Chocolate Mug Cake boasts all the health benefits of collagen and MCT oil powder. Read about their benefits here:

Divine Health Collagen

Divine Health MCT Oil Powder

Bottom Line

Happy Valentine’s Day! This year treat yourself and those you love to this easy, quick Keto Triple Chocolate Mug Cake. There’s really no reason to not add more healthy chocolate to your life and many great reasons to do so. Enjoy our 10 favorite recipes and all the health benefits that come with them!