Thoughts on Carob

Did you know that pets are allergic to chocolate? Baking chocolate and dark chocolate contain enough theobromine, a chemical closely related to caffeine, to make your dog sick.

These chemicals, caffeine and theobromine, are used medicinally as diuretics, heart stimulants, vaso-dilators, and smooth muscle relaxants. Why would we want to make medicine our food? Centuries ago, Hippocrates said, “Let food be your medicine.”

Many pet treats are made from carob, chocolate-tasting seed pods, grown from carob trees. These nutrient dense pods are dried and can be munched on as a snack. Or, the pods can be roasted and ground into powder. The pods are also ground raw, without roasting, to produce a mild, sweet flour, great to enhance the sweetness of granola without the negatives of concentrated sugars.

Carob powder does not contain harmful, stimulating chemical compounds. Caffeine and theobromine, found in cocoa and chocolate containing foods, may affect heart health, the propensity to be more vulnerable to various cancers, and unnatural nervous stimulation which leaves the body dragged out after such a chemical “high.”

Take a cue from the animals. Choose carob snacks and desserts instead of chocolate ones to stay healthier! And enjoy the amazing, fresh, sweet flavor of Australian Carob.