Cacao Nibs

[Angelic Light]

I ate too many cacao nibs yesterday and I ended up having heart palpitations, being dizzy, feeling sick, and my hands went kinda numb. Last night, I got a rash on my face and neck too.

Has anyone else had this experience?

I have had the nibs before, and been fine, so I guess it is just because I ate too many of them.

I thought they were meant to be really healthy, and be a superfood?

[Essensual]

...just so we know...

How many is TOO many?

[Gosia]

Cocoa nibs are advertised as super-food for the purpose of selling them. The truth is they contains multiple toxins. Your experience is not unusual, I've heard stories like this too many times, even about people who digested a moderate amount of the nibs.


Read:
http://www.rawgosia.com/articles/michelle.html

All the best,
Gosia.

[sweetgoddess]

I was going to post the link to that article on Gosia's site, and here she is!
I remember a post Alissa made after trying them, and recall she didnt like the buzz she felt from them.
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=643

[Angelic Light]

Thanks for the links.

I think I will take it easy with the cacao nibs from now on. Normally I don't eat many of them, and I am ok, but this time, I had around 6 tablespoons mixed in with the same amount of goji berries. It must have just been too many.

I am fine now, but the weird feelings lasted for around 4 hours or more....

For me, I think they will be ok in small amounts and maybe only occasionally....

[Sharon in Colorado]

Cacao has made me jittery/anxious before. Raw carob never did it to me.

[dragonfist70]

i gave up on cacao after a while something just wasn't right with it.

[Punky]

[QUOTE=Angelic Light

For me, I think they will be ok in small amounts and maybe only occasionally....[/QUOTE]

Hi Angelic Light,
We have had past discussions, threads on this topic if you do a search (banana link). Others are sensitive to cacao too (stimulant qualities). I only use cacao in small amounts ocassionally too. Some people are ultra sensitive to it. I can have it in moderate doses since I was drinking coffee regularly before raw. Always listen to your body on whats right even if the literature is telling you differently ;)
Have you had the goji berries seperately before? Maybe the combo made you feel weird (I am not that familiar with the goji berries, but know they are a superfood too).

p.s. 6 tbsp. does sound like a lot! Once I had a double serving of a cocao
drink at a David Wolfe lecture (my hubby did not want his) and I was wired.

[Angelic Light]

Hi Punky,

Yes I have had the goji berries loads of times before, separately and with the nibs and they were fine with me. I have had the cacao nibs loads too before, although not as much as 6 tablespoons! I didn't really mean to eat them all. I had put them into a food bag with the gojis and was snacking on them. Before I knew it, they were gone. LOL. But lesson learned I guess! Come to think of it, it was a different brand of nibs I bought this time - I wonder if that is why they affected me differently from usual........

Never mind, I will still use them, but I will just be more careful in future. I guess a lot of herbs and stuff could affect the body strangely too if we took too much...

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[nemo]

yeah, cacao is deffinitly one of those things that i consider 'not raw, but possibly beneficial'

and by that i mean, sprout me a cacao sprout from one of them there beans... go ahead... the nibs are deffinitly the crushed 'bean' (as it is actually a nut) but raw living nuts, should be sproutable, right?

having said that i can see a potential value is using moderate amounts of cacao for those who they agree with...

i've used up to a third of a pound before LOL... (in a drink) but i've noticed a tendency towards becoming dependant, and irritable while using them for prolonged periods... for me that's more than 2 days in a row, and 3-5 days inbetween. ::shrug::

3 tbls. every few days doesn't sound excessive, and if you notice welcome improvement in mood, energy, metabolism, whatever good deal...

...personally i like the lyceum fruit (goji berries) i get down in china town for $7 a pound alot better ;)

nemo

[Angelic Light]

Well, I've been eating the nibs again and I have been completely fine. I've even been making loads of chocolate truffles, and have had no ill effects at all. I'm really enjoying the cacao this time, and it seems to be suiting my body really well. Weird how it can affect me one minute, then be fine with me the next. LOL

[Ginger]

I've had reactions on some occasions & not on others also, weird! :confused:

[rawpriestess]

I used to be super hooked on caffeine, and it always gave me heart palpatations, when I drank too much of it, but "too much of it" got more and more as I drank more and more, when I quit, I was drinking one or two 44 oz breve's a day, which is 12 shots of espresso, and 88 ounces of half and half a day, YIKES.

So, my question is, are the symptoms really better? or are you just now hooked on caffeine, and they don't seem as bad?

I would say that if you can NOT eat them for 7 days, and you are fine, then try them again, and see how you feel.

Caffeine is never good for your system, it is a drug, legal or not.

Hopefully, you can take it or leave it, and you just like them, that would be wonderful.

[Angelic Light]

Yeah, I did avoid them for more than 7 days, out of fear, but when I tried them again I was fine with them. I have had no spaciness, heart palpitations, dizziness or anything since trying them again - nothing at all. I don't even feel a caffeine buzz or anything like I used to. Maybe my body is getting used to them now. I'll just make sure I don't eat too many of them.... I avoided caffeine for about 2 years so maybe that is why I had a strong reaction. I dunno... Oh I have noticed I have been more irritable than normal - I guess that could be a side-effect of caffeine....

[rawpriestess]

My rule of thumb is the 7 day thingy, so since you can do that, then I say, "Go for it" and enjoy them if you like them.

Seems like you are one of the lucky few.

I've tried them, and they kept me up all night, I had one bite, about 1/4 tsp. It sure isn't something I can eat.

And I used to love chocolate soooooooo much.

But glad you can eat them, yummmmmmmy :o)

[Angelic Light]

Thanks!! :)

[swiddweas]

I just tried the cacoa nibs and find them very stong tasting and hard to chew. Blending them in the blender with a smoothie renderd them useless because the nibs didn't liquify and the drink was grainy. Don't really know how to use these tastefully.. tried mixing them with raw cashews for a trail mix, but the nibs weren't soft enough for my teeth, and they weren't sweet like the chocolae chips I'm used to! Guess just haveta get used to em. I personally like carob better.

swiddweas

[rawpriestess]

swiddeweas, you can grind them in a coffee grinder until super powdery, like cocoa or carob, you might like that better, and then mix with coconut oil, and some dates, into chocolate.

I've done this and they are good, but not perfect. I've learned to uncook with carob, so am still using it.

[swiddweas]

Thank you, Rawpriestess. I shall try this recipie out that you gave me for chocolate. Sounds good. ;)

swd