CAROB-bean!!! Maybe a God Send for me?

This past week, I mentioned that I actually found something I have been looking for at the grocery store. No, it's not anything that is holiday, decorating, themed as some of you guessed! It's a food. Well, more so a sweet treat. You see, many many moons ago, when I had two children at home, a career, and invalid parents to care for, plus a household to run, I practically LIVED off of everything caffeine related: tea, chocolate, fudge, brownies, cola, chocolate covered raisins was my go to snack at work. Eventually, as I aged, my body said "Enough!" And I had SVT [supraventricular-tachycardia]. It all began in 1996 after my father passed. We retired and moved to sunny, dry Tucson Arizona. All of a sudden, my heart rate was 250+ beats a minute.

I was rushed to ER and was diagnosed, sent home. But, the cause was unknown. It could've been stress, diet, hereditary! After many more trips to ER, the cardiologist suggested a heart ablation. I was leery. As I was also told that it wasn't that big of a deal. Wrong!! Having so many of these episodes [continuing sporadically up until we moved to the Gulf], I finally had a heart attack. Even after the heart attack, months went by and still SVT at times after an ablation in 2008. Doing my own research, and the lack of help [doctors always wanted to do more ablations! And Nuclear Stress tests, etc.] I came to the conclusion of eliminating this and that, it's most likely caffeine related. I stopped consuming ANYTHING caffeine!!!! But, poor Bud, I felt for him. He went along with my choices of snacking and "lack" of chocolate. And he LOVES chocolate. [He can eat anything!] Well, I started craving a brownie. It USED to BE our favorite dessert. Recently, in the last year or so, I was tempted to make some and eat one! Just one. But then, I knew better. It just may be another trigger to have me end up in the ER again, or worse. Then, online, I read about Carob. A chocolate substitute with NO caffeine. Some sites say it tastes like chocolate others say, not even close to the flavor. I searched stores here in town, emailed several establishments, shopped 'til I dropped.  Even GNC the health food center...  No carob! I did find it online. It's expensive, but if it satiates my craving...worth trying. I looked at the health food sections, the candy aisles, etc. But still no where to be found. We were at the super store, and I happened to go down the bakery aisle. In amongst the chocolate chips, clear at the bottom of the shelving unit...Carob Chips! I grabbed one, read the label "Caffeine Free" and threw it in our cart. Twice as much as Nestle's chips, but hey...

Now, I am on a quest to find carob powder. Nope. Only online. I've contacted our local stores with a request they stock our super stores [HEBs], and got a response from the warehouse manager in San Antonio. We'll see. Maybe a wonderful, thick, chewy brownie with pecans is once again in my future!!!?!  I found it on my birthday, so you can say "I was born again chocoholic".  lol

Not only is it very similar in flavor of chocolate, the texture and smoothness, melting in you mouth, is satisfying. So far, a few 2 TBSP servings for me with no ill effects.  Still, the health benefits are GREAT. Not only caffeine free, but a whole slew of goodness! Read on if you're interested....

1. Can Help Digestive Issues

People with digestive issues often find that consuming carob can help settle their digestive tract. This is because carob contains tannins that are different from what is usually found in plants. These tannins dry out the digestive tract which helps protect bacteria from growing on the intestines and stops toxins from sticking to the sides of the tract.

2. Helps Prevent and Treat High Cholesterol

Many people deal with high cholesterol which can lead to heart disease down the road. Carob may be a natural way to treat high cholesterol because it contains a high number of polyphenols. Polyphenols are a type of antioxidant that has been linked to the reduction of high cholesterol. Thus, eating carob on a regular basis can help you lower your LDL number, and can help prevent the development of heart disease down the line.

3. May Prevent Cancer

The combination of a high number of polyphenols and the concentration of carob germ flour from in carob combine to be toxic to some cells in the body.

4. Can Help with Weight Loss

If you are trying to lose weight, you may find that carob is a great natural appetite suppressant. This is because it stops the secretion of postprandial ghrelin, a hormone that tells your body when you are hungry. Therefore, you will feel less hungry less often.

5. Is Great for Diabetes

People with diabetes often have to pass on sweets to prevent their blood sugar from spiking and complications from occurring from their disease. Carob, while tasting sweet like chocolate, only has a fraction of the fat found in chocolate and has much less sugar. It is also a third of the calories making it a great snack for people with diabetes and for those trying to lose weight. As a bonus, it also contains protein which makes it a great snack to have on hand if you have diabetes who occasionally experiences a drop in blood sugar.

6. Improve Eye Health

Carob is high in a number of vitamins, one of which is Vitamin A. Vitamin A plays a large role in maintaining the health of your eye tissue. As people age often their eye tissue breaks down resulting in a loss of vision known as macular degeneration. Consuming a regular amount of Vitamin A can help ward off the loss of tissue so that you can keep your vision for longer without needing medical intervention.

7. Packed Full of Vitamins and Minerals

Carob is packed full of a large variety of minerals and vitamins. This makes it far more beneficial to consume than chocolate. Carob can help satisfy your sweet tooth while also adding a large assortment of vitamins and minerals to your diet that includes Vitamins A, B-2, B-3, and B-6 and minerals like copper, zinc, manganese, calcium, magnesium, selenium, and potassium.

8. High in Calcium

Carob can be a great way to strengthen your bones because it contains a high amount of calcium in each serving. Every two-tablespoon serving of this healthy sweet chip contains 8% of the daily calcium intake. Calcium can help you prevent the development of osteoporosis and maintain a high bone density. Additionally, your body needs calcium for blood to clot properly and for your heart to beat regularly.

9. Natural Antioxidant

Free radicals and environmental toxins surround us whether we are aware of it or not. Even the most health-conscious person will be exposed to some free radicals on a fairly regular basis. The good news is that carob has a high number of antioxidants in the form of polyphenols in it. The antioxidants help to counteract the free radicals and remove them from the body before they can do any damage.

10. Great Source of Selenium

Your body needs a lot of minerals to function, one you may not think about much is selenium. Selenium is important for your overall health because it helps regular [sic---regulate] your thyroid, aids in the production of DNA and protects the body from infection.

You can still enjoy your favorite sweet treats like fudge, chocolate milkshakes, and brownies. The most common use for carob is in food. Carob tastes similar to chocolate and is a great alternative because it has:

a lot of fiber

antioxidants

low amounts of fat and sugar

no caffeine

no gluten

Because of their similar taste, people often compare carob to chocolate. However, it’s healthier than chocolate.

Carob has twice the amount of calcium compared to cocoa is free of a migraine-triggering compound is caffeine- and fat-free

Adding or substituting carob into your diet can help:

lower your cholesterol

reduce your risk of heart disease

ease stomach issues

treat diarrhea

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