This Hot Chocolate Mix Could Boost Your Immune System
Cozy up to a mug of comforting cocoa that might also good for your health.
This winter, perhaps more than any other season before it, most of us are thinking about staying healthy and keeping our immune systems as resilient as possible. While some of the best methods for doing that are lifestyle changes — like getting plenty of sleep, eating a healthy diet, and avoiding stress — it's also helpful to sometimes add a little something extra to your routine. For me, I'll be sipping on a mug of Om Mushroom Superfood Hot Chocolate Blend.
With a chocolatey and sweet taste you'd expect from any hot chocolate mix, Om's mushroom-infused cocoa variety is nearly indistinguishable from regular versions. Along with the possibly immune-boosting mushrooms, it also boasts a low sugar content with just two grams per serving thanks to maple sugar and monk fruit extract.
I whipped up a batch by heating up eight ounces of almond milk and whisking in the mix. I was impressed by how easily the powder dissolved into the warm drink. As a bonus, the Om Mushroom Hot Chocolate Blend is gluten-free, vegan, and certified organic.
Buy it: Om Mushroom Hot Chocolate Blend, $19; amazon.com
Each packet of hot chocolate contains four varieties of mushrooms, each with their own potential health benefits. That's where the claim for immunity boosting comes. While science hasn't thoroughly studied each mushroom for their full range of advantages — and we would not recommend you pick drinking cocoa regularly as your top strategy for healthy living — current research is very promising about the benefits of these mushrooms. So if that gives us another reason to sip on this comforting beverage during these cold months, we'll take it.
- Lion's Mane — These mushrooms contain nerve growth factor, which is great for your brain, and studies have found it can improve cognition and reduce anxiety.
- Reishi — This mushroom is a do-it-all variety. Reishi can possibly lower inflammation and boost your immune system, help you sleep better, and promote wound healing.
- Chaga — Packed with antioxidants, studies show chaga mushrooms can potentially prevent or slow the growth of cancer cells and lower LDL cholesterol, which is the harmful variety.
- Turkey Tail — Turkey tail is by far the heaviest hitter on this list when it comes to immune system boosting. It contains polysaccharide-K (PSK), a compound that's so effective it's used in Japan as an anticancer drug, Plus, studies have found it may improve the immune system of those taking chemotherapy.
You can purchase a 10-pack box of Om Mushroom Hot Chocolate Blend on Amazon for $19. When whipped up in a warm mug, it's a sweet treat that might give your body an extra boost.
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