With the holiday season rolling around, eco-conscious and vegan buyers are looking for some alternatives to the usual holiday experiences. Luckily for us, vegan alternatives are becoming more and more accessible in your everyday grocery hauls, making it easier for us to find alternatives and homemade recipes that work! When we are looking forward to the holidays, hot chocolate may be crossing your mind as a perfect, nostalgic treat for your holidays. But with so many companies having sneakily placed animal product, is hot chocolate even safe?
Hershey’s Cocoa Powder is completely vegan. This cocoa powder is free of the 14 most common allergens, has a balanced carb content due to a high fiber content, and is surprisingly low in sugar. It also has a high amount of calcium and is high in theobromine. Vegan and healthy, this is an excellent choice for your next baking project.
In this article, we will analyze the health benefits of Hershey’s cocoa powder, as well as highlight other vegan alternatives. Let’s dig in!
Contents
- Is Hershey’s Cocoa Powder Healthy?
- What Are the Health Benefits of Cocoa Powder?
- Hershey’s Cocoa Powder Nutrition Information
- Why is Hershey’s Cocoa Powder Vegan?
- Is Hershey’s Cocoa Powder Safe for Other Diets?
- Is Hershey’s Cocoa Powder Ethically Sourced?
- What are some Alternatives to Hershey’s Cocoa Powder?
- Related Questions
Is Hershey’s Cocoa Powder Healthy?
Hershey’s cocoa powder is a surprisingly healthy addition to your spice cabinet. Hershey’s cocoa powder is made of a single ingredient, which is a huge plus and shows there aren’t any harmful additives that would affect the overall health potential of the product.
What Are the Health Benefits of Cocoa Powder?
Hershey’s cocoa powder is rich in the vitamin theobromine, which is known as an anti-inflammatory vitamin that can protect you from future troubles in heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Cocoa powder is a bit ore calorie dense than what you might be used to, but the number of phytonutrients and the benefit of cocoa powder makes these extra calories a worth addition to your everyday life.
1. Heart Disease
The stigma surrounding chocolate materials often ignore the pure amount of phytonutrients that you can get from a small amount of dark chocolate per day. Dark chocolate contains a high amount of flavonoids that have been shown to lower blood pressure, improving blood flow, and preventing future cell damage.
2. Immune System
Cocoa powder contains a high amount of iron, zinc, and selenium. These are core nutrients for the body to help improve bodily systems and give your general system a natural boost. This can be extremely beneficial for people with regular immune issues or who get sick on a consistent basis.
3. Muscle and Nerve Function
Cocoa powder contains high amounts of magnesium, which are an important mineral that over 50% of Americans lack. More magnesium in your diet has a myriad of nerve benefits, because it is a natural regulator that reduces the risk of neurological disorders. It is also beneficial for muscle development and growth, and adding a bit to your daily vitamin intake can help you feel better on a daily basis.
4. Weight Loss
The phytonutrient found in cocoa powder can assist in weight loss and long-term control, because the calories in cocoa powder are balanced out with an extremely high nutrient count. Long term studies have found that the regular consumption of cocoa powder can assist with the regulation of metabolism and energy usage.
How Much Cocoa Should I Consume In a Day?
Cocoa is healthy and beneficial when taken in smaller doses, at max about 4 to 6 tablespoons per day. Usually about 50g of raw and unfiltered cocoa can lead to adverse and panicky side effects such as trembling and headaches.
Hershey’s Cocoa Powder Nutrition Information
Ingredients:
- 100% Cocoa Powder
Nutrition Information:
With about 45 servings per container, Hershey’s cocoa powder nutrition information per tablespoon is:
- 10 Calories
- 0.5g Total Fat
- 0g Saturated Fat
- 0g Trans Fat
- 0g Cholesterol
- 0mg Sodium
- 3g Total Carbohydrates
- 2g Dietary Fiber
- 0g Total Sugars
- <1g of Protein
- 0.0iu of Vitamin D
- 6.4mg Calcium
- 2.1mg Iron
- 75 mg Potassium
- and 0.3mg Zinc
Why is Hershey’s Cocoa Powder Vegan?
Hershey’s cocoa powder is easy to tell as a vegan ingredient because there is only one ingredient on the package, and cocoa is 100% vegan. This differs directly from hot cocoa mix, which is going to contain large amounts of refined sugar. Luckily, using homemade hot cocoa can take away any risk of animal products being in your hot cocoa!
How Can I tell if Hot Cocoa is Vegan or Not?
Pre-packaged hot cocoa mixes are usually very high in refined sugar, but refined sugar is made with bone char to help with the color and consistency of the sugar. That is partially why it is so beneficial to try and keep homemade hot cocoa mix during the holidays, as you can control the overall caloric, fat, and sugar content when compared to store brands.
Is Hershey’s Cocoa Powder Safe for Other Diets?
Hershey’s cocoa powder is sugar-free, gluten-free, and free from the 14 most popular allergies, making it a perfectly healthy addition you a keto or gluten free diet. The extremely low glycemic and sugar content is beneficial for diabetic consumption, since it is nutrient filled. Hershey’s cocoa powder can also be used in paleo diets, because it is 100% cocoa powder. The same cannot be said for cocoa powder with significant additives, so make sure to read the nutrition label thoroughly if it is not 100% cocoa powder.
Is Hershey’s Cocoa Powder Ethically Sourced?
If you’re looking for ethical sources of cocoa powder, Hershey is not your best bet. With more and more people becoming politically conscious, it’s more than reasonable for you to expect that the food in your cabinet aligns with your specific values. Unfortunately, Hershey’s cocoa powder is not ethically sourced.
Why is Hershey’s Cocoa Powder Not Ethically Sourced?
The cocoa industry in general is extremely labor intensive and unfortunately does operate off the exploitation of southern hemisphere farmers. This problem hasn’t been addressed in a public sphere, but Hershey’s is far from the only one that uses this exploitation, and it may be the lesser of evils when compared to other chocolate giants.
Will Hershey’s Soon Become Ethically Sourced?
With organizations present such as the World Cocoa Foundation, The Harkin-Engel Protocol, The International Cocoa Initiative, and the International Labor Organization, it is soon expected that cocoa farmers lives will improve drastically. Luckily, this means that we can soon enjoy chocolate without relying on the exploitation of already struggling farmers.
What are some Alternatives to Hershey’s Cocoa Powder?
Some alternatives to Hershey’s Cocoa Powder with the same nutritional benefits are easily accessible if you can’t get ahold of Hershey’s cocoa powder at your local store.
Chatfield’s Cocoa Powder
Chatfield’s cocoa powder, available at Walmart, has similar nutritional values to Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder.
Ingredients:
- Cocoa Powder
Nutrition Information:
With about 19 servings, with 1 serving being a tablespoon, they’re listed as:
- 35 Calories
- 2g Total Fat
- 1g Saturated Fat
- 0g Trans Fat
- 0mg Cholesterol
- 0mg Sodium
- 0mg Total Carbohydrates
- 6g Dietary Fiber
- 0g Total Sugars
- 0g Added Sugars
- 3g Protein
- 0mcg Vitamin D
- 0mg Calcium
- 2mg Iron
- 230mg Potassium
Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Ghirardelli is a very high quality cocoa powder, being much richer than most cocoa powder. This should be no surprise from the chocolate giants, with richness paralleling even Hershey.
Ingredients:
- 100% Cocoa
Nutrition Information:
With 38 servings per container, and a serving being 1 tablespoon, the nutrition is listed as:
- 15 Calories
- 1g Total Fat
- 0g Saturated Fat
- 0g Trans Fat
- 3g Total Carbohydrate
- 2g Dietary Fiber
- 0g Total Sugars
- 0g Added Sugars
- 1g Protein
Nestle Tollhouse Cocoa Powder
Nestle is best known for its chocolate milk, with a nostalgic and full flavor that many of us can remember with love in our hearts. The same can be said for their cocoa powder, which comes extremely cheap and available at most retailers nationwide.
Ingredients:
- 100% Cocoa Powder
Nutrition Information:
With 45 servings per container, 1 tablespoon of this cocoa powder has:
- 10 Calories
- .5g Total Fat
- 0g Saturated Fats
- 0g Trans Fats
- 0g Sodium
- 3g Total Carbohydrates
- 1g Dietary Fiber
- 1g Protein
Good and Gather Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Good and gather is a cheap and very user friendly brand for any of those who are new to cooking. Its friendly interface and exclusive availability at target have made it an overnight culinary success.
Ingredients:
- 100% Cocoa
Nutrition Information:
With about 45 servings per container, 1 tablespoon of this cocoa powder has:
- 10 Calories
- 0.5g Total Fats
- 0g Saturated Fats
- 0mg Cholesterol
- 0mg Sodium
- 3g Total Carbohydrates
- 2g Dietary Fiber
- 0g Sugars
- 0g Added Sugars
- 1g Protein
- 0mcg Vitamin D
- 10mg Calcium
- 2.1mg Iron
- 80mg Potassium
Navitas organic cocoa powder is a kosher, vegan option that is available at major retailers such as Kroger’s and Walmart. It has stellar reviews, but does have some key differences from other unsweetened cocoa powders.
Ingredients:
- Certified Organic Cacao Powder (Theobroma Cacao)
Nutrition Information:
While Navitas organic cocoa powder doesn’t disclose how many servings are in a singular container, 15 grams of Nativas organic cocoa powder is:
- 60 Calories
- 1.5g Total Fat
- 1g Saturated Fat
- 0g Trans Fat
- 0mg Cholesterol
- 0mg Sodium
- 8g Total Carbohydrates
- 3g Dietary Fiber
- 0g Sugar
- 4g Protein
Related Questions
Is Hershey’s Cocoa Powder Special Dark Vegan?
Both the original and the special dark version of Hershey’s cocoa powder is vegan, paleo friendly, keto friendly, and gluten free.
Can I Eat Cocoa Powder Every day?
As long as your daily intake stays between 4 to 6 tablespoons per day, it can be an excellent addition to your daily diet due to the phytonutrients.