Not much sounds better on a cool winter night than curling up in a blanket with a warm cup of hot cocoa in hand. It’s creamy, sweet, and brings so much comfort. If you’re making your hot cocoa using one of those popular powder mixes, then it’ll also probably come with a major glucose spike and a side of inflammation. Let’s see just what’s in those powder mixes.
Most people can recognize the baby blue box with the image of the Swiss Alps. Most people also do not hesitate to grab it off the shelf to put in their shopping cart. After all, on the front of the box it says “No Artificial Sweeteners, Preservatives, Flavors or Colors.” It can’t be all that bad, right? Let’s take a look at the ingredients so you can see for yourself.
After seeing the list, we’d recommend you put it back on the shelf. Let’s discuss why these ingredients can cause so many issues. For starters, sugar and corn syrup are the first two ingredients listed, which tells us that they are the two predominant ingredients. Yikes!
Sugar is the #1 ingredient in this hot cocoa mix, and that means that it is present in the greatest amount over any other ingredient in this product. Consuming so much sugar can lead to a quick burst of energy and then a crash. You end up lounging on the couch wondering how you got so tired so fast.
Corn Syrup
Corn syrup is an added sweetener that’s derived from corn, and when corn is not organic, it’s genetically modified. Read here how it can affect your health. It’s best to avoid.
Food Additives
Dipotassium phosphate and mono- and diglycerides are both food additives. Swiss Miss is stating that they’re not preservatives, but these two ingredients that are still chemicals used to either enhance the flavor or help it stay together better. They’re unnecessary and unnatural in the body. Often times, food additives are leading to inflammation.
Natural Flavors
While Swiss Miss’ Hot Cocoa may not contain artificial flavors, it still contains natural flavors, which can be just as bad. There are loopholes that flavor manufacturers take advantage of, and they can get away with flavors that are far from natural and still chemically derived.
There are still more alarming ingredients included in these little packages, so next time just skip the blue boxes on the shelves. Wake Up and Read the Labels is here to help you make a clean swap made with all REAL ingredients.
Hot Cocoa made with Real Ingredients
When you know which ingredients to avoid, eating clean becomes second nature. Wake Up and Read the Labels is here to help you get started. Try this clean Hot Cocoa recipe next time you’re craving some.
1 cup Clean Nutmilk (Download our free guide for a clean nutmilk!)
2 tbsp Pure Maple Syrup
2 tbsp of Laird Hot Chocolate
Add your clean nutmilk to a small saucepan over medium heat and heat through for 2-3 minutes so the milk can warm. Remove from heat.
Pour the warmed milk into your favorite mug. Add the maple syrup and Laird Hot Chocolate mix.
Stir together until fully combined.
Serve and enjoy while wrapped in your favorite blanket!
Let’s take a look at the Laird Hot Cocoa ingredients so you can see the difference.
There’s not a single unnatural ingredient added to this, and Laird is using Organic Coconut Sugar rather than sugar and corn syrup to sweeten this. This hot cocoa is way less likely to cause a glucose spike and won’t leave you feeling bloated and tired afterwards. Want to know the best part? It tastes amazing!
The difference between the Swiss Miss and Laird ingredients is alarming. The scariest part is that the majority of us can recognize the Swiss Miss box, but most have never even heard of Laird before. Swiss Miss is owned by Conagra Brands, which is one of the largest food brands in the world.
Conagra Brands does not rate well when it comes to its social and economical impact, and they’re not doing much to help the population’s health, either. If a brand is owned by one of the big companies, it’s typically a bad sign. They’re using the worst of the worst ingredients to try and make as much profit as they can.
Focus on finding brands like Laird that make their products from real ingredients. You will feel better.