Written By: Gloria Tsang, RD
Title: Founding Registered Dietitian
Alumni: University of British Columbia
Last Updated on:
When it comes to winter favorites, nothing beats curling up under a blanket and enjoying a cup of steamy, rich, and smooth hot chocolate. Are you one who would make this delicious drink from scratch, or are you resort to pouring hot water with instant chocolate drink mix ? Find out the nutritional differences between the two.
Nestle
| Homemade Hot Chocolate
| |
Serving Size (1 cup): | 1 pack + 1 cup of hot water | 1 Tbsp Cocoa + 2 tsp sugar + 1 cup 1% milk |
Calories: | 100 kcal | 144 kcal |
Protein: | 1 g | 9.2 g |
Fat: | 2.5 g | 3.1 g |
Saturated Fat: | 2.5 g | 2 g |
Carbohydrate: | 19 g | 23.1 g |
Fiber: | <1 g | 1.6 g |
Net Carb: | 18 g | 21.5 g |
Sodium: | 240 mg | 108 mg |
Calcium: | 30 mg (2% DV) | 296 mg (23% DV) |
Ingredients: | SUGAR, DAIRY PRODUCT SOLIDS (MILK), CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (COCONUT AND/OR PALM KERNEL AND/OR SOYBEAN), COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, AND LESS THAN 2% OF SALT, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM CASEINATE, SODIUM ALUMINOSILICATE, GUAR GUM, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SUCRALOSE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR. | 1 % milk, cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons of sugar |
As it’s made with real milk and not water, the homemade version offers same nutritional values from regular cow’s milk, providing higher protein (9 g vs 1 g) and calcium (296 mg vs 30 mg) content compared to the instant mix.
The hot chocolate made from the instant mix turns out to be a watery, dark colored liquid that is infused with a long list of additives. The editorial team agrees that the flavor is weaker in cocoa taste and that it is overly sweet. In contrast, by using three simple ingredients – milk, cocoa powder, and sugar – we created a rich, chocolaty, creamy drink.
You may notice that the net carb content of homemade hot chocolate is higher than using instant cocoa mix. The reason is that cow’s milk contains naturally-occurring lactose (a type of carb); 1 cup of milk provides 12 g of carbohydrates. Therefore the net carb content is higher in the homemade version.
Alumni: University of British Columbia – Gloria Tsang is the author of 6 books and the founder of HealthCastle.com, the largest online nutrition network run by registered dietitians. Her work has appeared in major national publications, and she is a regularly featured nutrition expert for media outlets across the country. The Huffington Post named her one of its Top 20 Nutrition Experts on Twitter. Gloria’s articles have appeared on various media such as Reuters, NBC & ABC affiliates, The Chicago Sun-Times, Reader’s Digest Canada, iVillage and USA Today.
homemade recipe, hot chocolate, nutrition facts
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