THE MAGIC FOOD: Amazing Health Benefits of Carob

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Carob is a fruit that has been around for 5000 years. However, it is not very well known in some countries. Carob is one of the best foods with incredibly amazing health benefits. It is so good that it deserves to be called “magic food.”

Benefits of carob for wellness, health, nutrition
Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
What is all the fuss about carob?

Let’s start with a little information on it.

In Latin , Carob’s name is ceratonia siliqua L. In English, carob is also known as St. John’s bread and locust bean. It is mostly grown in some Mediterranean countries, especially Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon and Greece. The amount of fat in carob is only 1%. It is an excellent substitute for cacao, and yet, it doesn’t contain any caffeine like cacao. Carob is also high in fiber, pectin, and protein.


Vitamins in carob: A, B-2, B-3, B-6
Minerals in carob: copper, calcium, manganese, potassium, magnesium, zinc, selenium

The magic of carob

Carob is naturally high in fiber, a perfect choice for people with high blood pressure and has no caffeine. It contains vitamins like A and B-2, which are good for your skin and eye health. Additionally, carob does not have any side effects for health.

Some of the most known benefits of carob:
- Lowers your cholesterol
- Reduces your risk of heart disease
- Eases stomach issues
- Treats diarrhea and constipation
- Cures shortness of breath and asthma
- Carob is good for cold allergy
- Improves count of sperm and male fertility
- Makes you stronger against winter colds and flu
- Contains tremendous amount of calcium, which makes it an excellent food for osteoporosis

Carob vs. chocolate

Carob and chocolate have similar tastes, and for that reason carob happens to be a healthy substitute for chocolate. Chocolate's main ingredient is cacao. Carob has twice amount of calcium compared to cacao. In fact, cacao contains oxalic acid, which interferes with calcium absorption. Also, cacao may trigger migraine for some people whereas carob is completely free of migraine-triggers. And lastly, carob is caffeine-free and fat-free. How great is that? Cacao, on the other hand, is unfortunately high in sodium and fat.

Carob is surely much healthier and more beneficial than cacao. As you see, you can absolutely switch to carob for chocolate cravings. It cannot get better than this.

Is it safe?

Carob is considered safe with low risk. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved carob for use in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Carob doesn’t have any known side effects and is pretty safe to consume.

Where to find it?

The Mediterranean countries I listed above grow this magic fruit. So for those who live outside of these countries, you can find carob in most international stores, especially Middle Eastern stores.

What is your story on carob?

Did you know about carob before? Did you ever try it? Leave a comment below, tell us how you like it, where you live and how you were able to find carob. 

If you like natural foods and home remedies, check out my article, NATURAL MEDICINES IN YOUR KITCHEN: Home Remedies, A.K.A. Old Wives' Remedies.

My blog has no boundaries. I share any information I find and topics on daily life. Stay tuned for more. See you next time.

DISCLAIMER: I am simply sharing the information that I found on the Internet for my own personal purposes. I am not an expert on this topic.
I am actually a computer scientist and an instructional technologist. I search the net a lot-- probably because of my background. I like writing up things and getting creative. So I decided to turn my searches on stuff into something useful for you people while I enjoy writing as a hobby.

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