When craving chocolate, try this food instead, which has a similar flavor and reduces body waste.

Chocolate is known to have its own health benefits. However, most commercially available chocolates are high in calories and sugar, so frequent consumption is not recommended. Furthermore, to fully reap the health benefits of chocolate, including its antioxidant properties, you need to consume large quantities of chocolate with a high cocoa content, which is more expensive than regular chocolate. In such cases, it's better to substitute chocolate with cocoa nibs.

 

Cacao nibs are fermented, dried, and finely crushed cacao beans, the seeds of the cacao tree that grows in tropical regions of Central and South America, West Africa, and Asia.

 

Cacao nibs, along with aronia and turmeric, are considered one of the world's top three antioxidant foods. In fact, they contain more than eight times the antioxidant polyphenol content of green and black tea, and are also rich in catechins, which improve blood vessel elasticity. Polyphenols help convert free radicals in the body into harmless substances. Free radicals are harmful substances created when oxygen inhaled during respiration is metabolized.

The antioxidant effects of cacao nibs have been proven in various studies. At the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 25 healthy adults consumed cacao nibs for six weeks. As a result, oxidized LDL-lipid oxides, which indicate the level of oxidative stress in the blood, significantly decreased. Lipid oxides are waste products produced when cholesterol is metabolized in the body. The more lipid oxides in the body, the higher the risk of various diseases due to oxidation of cells and organs. According to a paper titled "Antioxidant Activity Levels of Cocoa Powder in Rat Plasma" published in the British Journal of Nutrition, oral administration of 1g/kg of cacao powder decreased blood lipid oxides.

 

Cacao nibs can be eaten as is. Unlike sweet chocolate, they can be bitter and astringent. If you find this taste unpleasant, you can sprinkle it on yogurt or steep it in hot water to drink as tea. However, since cacao nibs contain caffeine, consuming too much can cause caffeine side effects. If you are eating cacao nibs for health purposes, 2 to 3 teaspoons per day is appropriate.

 

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I ate cacao nibs for a long time because of my younger brother.

It really doesn't taste good..

I did chew and eat it, though.

 

Polyphenols remove active oxygen from the body.

It plays a role in converting it into a substance that is harmless to the human body.

 

There are so many things that are good for your health even if they don't taste good.