Carob and Chocolate
Is Chocolate Good or Bad For Health? Pros, Cons & a Healthier Option
Chocolate is touted for its flavonol antioxidants, but even raw or dark cocoa have ingredients that are unhealthy. Carob is a naturally sweet, caffeine-free substitute.
Chocolate has lately been touted for its flavonols (antioxidants), but the reality is that even raw or dark chocolate have components that are unhealthy. Mainstream candy-bar chocolate is even worse, with ingredients like refined sugar, milk products, corn syrup, chemical flavoring and other additives. Carob is a naturally sweet, caffeine-free substitute... and contrary to the claims of junk-food addicts, can be made to taste really good.
What’s Wrong with Chocolate?
The latest research indicates that chocolate isn’t all bad. Flavonols, a type of antioxidant found in cocoa, have wrought some changes on the health food industry.
Where chocolate flavors used to be a lure to entice consumers to buy unappealing health foods, plenty of products now present the chocolate itself - milk-free dark chocolate or raw cacao, of course - as one of the health draws.
It's hard to know how much this change in approach reflects real health benefits, and how much it is simply clever marketing. Regardless, there are some harsh truths about even dark chocolate that antioxidants, vitamins and minerals don’t change.
- Cocoa is naturally bitter, so commercial chocolate is made with milk, processed corn sugar, unhealthy fats, artificial flavors, and lots of refined sugar
- Proteins in milk are thought to bind to the antioxidants in chocolate, making them unavailable - only dark chocolate (as opposed to white or milk varieties) provides any benefit
- Chocolate contains addictive stimulants and cannabinoids that have negative side effects
- Less processed or purer chocolate has more of these drugs by weight
- Antioxidants like those in chocolate can be obtained just as easily from berries and other fruits and veggies - without the caffeine or any processed sugar
There’s nothing wrong with having a little dark chocolate as an occasional treat (especially if it’s organic and naturally sweetened), but the amount of chocolate consumed by most Westerners is not ideal.
What About Raw Cacao?
Raw cocoa or cacao is praised by proponents of raw foods as a health supplement, but it still contains caffeine and other chemicals that are unhealthy. Chocolate is energizing, cheering and comforting because it is a drug, containing stimulants (caffeine, theobromine) and other mood altering substances that are addictive.
A Comparison: Chocolate vs. Carob
Carob has been around for as long as chocolate - and in the health food industry, longer! Carob was used as a sweetener and digestive aid in Ancient Egypt at the same time as the Aztecs were eating cocoa.
Made from the seeds or beans of the carob tree (also known as locust beans), which grow in long, horn-shaped pods, carob is naturally sweet and contains no stimulants or other drugs. It is safe for children and even dogs - to whom chocolate is poisonous.
Carob has long been used as a substitute for chocolate in recipes for healthier baked goods and sweets. Carob is alkalizing to the body, while chocolate creates acidity. Baking with carob also means you use less sugar, since carob powder is naturally sweeter than cocoa.
But Does Carob Taste As Good?
One of the biggest criticisms of carob as a substitute for chocolate is the claim that it doesn’t taste as good. Just like consumers, health food companies can buy into the theory that “health food isn’t supposed to taste as good” and produce awful carob. The ones that make the effort, however, make carob that is decadent, smooth and rich.
It doesn’t taste identical to chocolate, and lacks the caffeinated bite, but carob can be used to make carob brownies and other chocolate-like desserts that are just as good as the original.
