What do you think about raw chocolate?

[raintree]

Hey everyone,

I haven't posted much on here before but I was listening to Raw Vegan Radio a while ago and heard the Alissa Cohen interveiw. She was asked what she thought about raw chocolate because a lot of people have been speaking out against it (she agreed that it was not so good.)

I heard the interveiw at the time it came out, started writing a post about it to see what you all think but never actually submitted it for some reason. A few days ago Jinjee mentioned in her daily news letter that it was bad for you, so it's kinda got me curious about what kind of replies a post about it would get.

By the way, I have a few links that I'll edit in later when I can find them about people against raw chocolate because as there's beenso much *for* raw chocolate at this point, people don't always know what people have been saying on the other hand.


Aaaanyway. What do you think? :)

[Dimond]

I think that raw chocolate is pretty awful in many ways. First of all, in order for it to taste good, you need to use high amounts of sugar-lots of sweet fruits like dates, honey, etc. To me, that defeats the purpose of eating health because consuming too much sugar is bad, even if it is more natural. I have found carob is easier to get to taste like chocolate than cacao. The other thing is that it can get you physically sick pretty easily. I'm normally immune to stimulants like caffeine and sugar, yet with just a small amount of cacao I can feel the effects and if I take a little too much (which is still a small amount), I will feel so dizzy, I need to lay down. So while cacao is okay occasionally, I personally wouldn't use it on a regular basis.

[Lay-Lay]

I think it is great for beginning raw and for an ocassional celebration food. I had some at the start of going 100% raw, but now I haven't had any in over 3 months and don't feel a need for it. I was thinking of ordering some for my upcoming anniversary January as a treat for hubby and me. My parents used to always buy us an anniversary cake and since that is out of the question........

[chilove]

Hello there,

Cacao is WAY too stimulating for me. Many people experience the same thing. This indicates that it is not an ideal human food. The reason it is stimulating is that out body goes in to overdrive trying to eliminate it right away. I've found that carob is just as yummy and is not stimulating.

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[fiddler]

FWIW, I don't eat raw chocolate; I don't consider it to be a high-quality food item.

Cheers,
Fiddler

[Frog]

Ive never tried any but I know a UK raw foodist on-line who has it for sale on her site (Shazzie.com), called temptress or something. Its waaaaay expensive too.

[Sunshine9]

I think cacao is one of the best foods ever.

[AJ Bodine]

I've only purchased cacao one time, it was a nice treat. I didn't become overstimulated by it though. I suppose had I eaten a whole pan of brownies I might have had trouble. I don't have a big sweet tooth, so a little goes a long way for me.

I'm planning to make those brownies again for Thanksgiving as a treat for everyone. Other than that, I wouldn't use it regularily. I'd prefer to get my sweets in the form of whole fruits. :)

I think if you notice that your body is not reacting well to it, definetly don't eat it.

[protea]

I just had some 'raw chocolate pudding' from David Wolfe's book: 'Naked chocolate'. This is the second time I've made it and I have had no ill effects. It is rich, so I don't have more that 2T at a time. I find it is a nice occasional treat and my son loves it too (he also has only about 1T at a time) - as you know with raw food, your body seems to be able to tell better when it's had enough of that particular food... with 'regular' chocolate there was NO such trigger to stop!! :D