Cocoa nibs.....are they toxic??

[Princess Elaine]

I'm fairly new at eating raw, just completed 4 months and I'm feeling great...I read every thing I can get my hands on...yesterday I got a newsletter from Paul Nisson talking about chocolate...it was quite lengthy and basically it said that cocoa nibs were toxic...could compromise our health...I felt awful...I've been eating some...even given some to others.

Is this true? What do you all think? I learn so much from this forum and respect and value your opinions.

Thank you for your help. Elaine

[Rawkinlocs]

Princess Elaine,

How do they make YOU feel? Have you gotten any ill-effects from them? You really have to be careful about what you read because as I've said many times before, you can (and will) find arguments for and against just about anything you can imagine or come up with. So, while Paul says they are toxic, another raw expert will tell you they are beneficial and harmless. Just like with anything else...since going raw, I have heard that mushrooms, onions, garlic, nightshades (bell peppers, etc.) tomatoes, hot peppers, sprouts, wheatgrass and many other foods that a lot of people consider healthy, are toxic or harmful or not optimal.

I eat what feels good and right to MY body, darn what anyone else says...my body will and does let me know when things are not right....even with things I used to eat, if I eat them now, I just don't feel as good and so I have released some things based on that...but I have learned to trust and listen to my own body and once you have been raw for a while, it really does work!

Just my thoughts. But so far, I have used cacao powder...don't consume things made with it everyday and when I DO use it, it's in small amounts OR, if it's in a slightly larger amount (such as in RP's brownies) I don't end up eating that much of it anyway. Just my personal experience with it thus far!

[Princess Elaine]

Ahhhhhhhh, I WUV YOU!!!...Thanks for your quick response...how do I feel after having some...I feel like my whole body is smiling...it's a real treat. I put maybe a tsp. or two into my raw granola...I've sprinkled some on banana ice cream and for New Year's Eve I ground some up and put it my date nut torte (Alissa's recipe) and it was a hit.

Rawkinlocs...yes, I could overeat anything that's good but I look at the cocoa nibs as a once in a while treat. I won't buy them all the time cuz I see where they could 'call' me from the cupboard.

....and the gift I've been feeling eating raw is being able to listen to my body as you said and I've never been able or willing to do this before. How do I feel, does my body have optimum food for energy and spirit and to this I say yes.

I may sound sappy with my description yet I feel so happy, so at peace with myself and this feeling happened quickly after giving up cooked foods.

Thank you. Elaine

[Sheryl]

I love raw chocolate too!

Here's the thing... most plants have compounds in them to protect them (read up on what Victoria Bountenko says about alternating greens to avoid toxicity). AND they have wonderful compounds too. It's all about balance.

Enjoy your chocolate!
Sheryl

[juliebove]

I've been eating them for years now and I'm still here. So if they're toxic, they're not very good at it. Heh!

[Princess Elaine]

Ahhhhh, you guys are great!!!...and I have to remember about alternating greens..I make those green smoothies and I love them yet am still putting a LOT of different greens in 'em....I'm gonna try and get to her lecture Saturday night.

Elaine

[shiva777]

I've read a lot about raw cacao and have never heard that they are toxic. I've been eating it for quite a while and I look at it as a great superfood. It gives me amazing energy and I feel absolutely no negative effects from it. Curious to look up more, but my gut feeling is that they are fine.

I just looked into it a bit and read Paul's piece on it. This is from Shazzie (who with David Wolfe wrote a book on cacao):

"21st June -- OK, you can all stop emailing us Paul Nison's writings about raw cacao -- we've been sent it so many times today ;-) All his concerns are fully addressed in Naked Chocolate... in short, yes there are dead animals in "standard chocolate bars", but they're not in raw cacao beans or nibs (you'd see them) or powder. Neither are they in our bars. Animals are attracted to cacao (coz they *know*), and mass-manufacturing causes them to be part of the bars, the same as bread and other mass manufactured goods. Another reason to eat raw chocolate! The chemical stuff is all addressed in our book, too... basically cooked chemicals are very different to raw ones... that's the whole foundation of the raw food diet. Paul's a lovely guy, and we don't all have to agree on everything. Raw cacao works for me, it works for David, it works for thousands and maybe millions of people. It's fine, too that other people feel it doesn't work for them. Examplying... a high fruit diet doesn't work for me, I'm not saying it's wrong -- know what I mean? Recognise the difference, give thanks we ain't the same, variety's the spice of life, hey fella what's your name? (words off of Big Audio Dynamite)."


~shiva
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