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There's no better way to celebrate the holidays than by enjoying a nice cup of hot chocolate. In fact, the drink has become a winter necessity! Though it's undeniably delicious, health experts say that the popular drink is actually doing more harm to your body than good. Here's why you should put down that cup of cocoa...
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1. There's a lot of calories in your cocoa
An 8-oz. mug of hot chocolate can have at least 192 calories. That's if you're making your own cocoa at home. If you prefer getting it from a packet, you're looking at around 152 calories.
2. There's a lot of fat in there, too!
The calorie count isn't the only thing you have to worry about. There's also a lot of fat in there, too! "An 8-oz. serving of homemade hot chocolate contains 5.85 grams of total fat, with 3.57 of that being saturated," according to Sara Ipatenco from Livestrong. "Prepare an envelope of hot chocolate powder with water and your beverage contains 1.52 grams of fat, with less than 1 gram being saturated."
3. Don't forget about the sugar!
How do you think hot chocolate gets its sweet taste? It's from sugar! Whether you're making it yourself or having it premade, your cup of cocoa could be adding 24.15 grams of sugar to your diet.
4. It can cause tooth decay
All of that sugar in your cocoa can lead to a slew of ailments, including tooth decay!
5. Hot cocoa can lead to unwanted weight gain
Overconsuming your cocoa, which is filled with sugar and fat, can increase your chances of having high triglycerides and gaining weight!
6. It can cause heart disease?!
Not only can excessive hot chocolate consumption cause tooth decay and weight gain, but it can also lead to heart disease and high cholesterol, too!
7. There's a carcinogen in there, too?!
Carrageenan is used in Swiss Miss' prepackaged hot chocolate. It's also been found to cause inflammation in the body, which Dr. Joanne K. Tobacman says will lead to heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and cancer!
8. Dipotassium phosphates are used as well!
Dipotassium phosphates are highly water-soluble salt that are used in Swiss Miss' hot chocolate. It's also used as a fertilizer and a buffering agent... ew!
