Does anyone else have trouble eating the raw cacao nibs?

When I first started eating them about 2 or 3 weeks ago, there didn't seem to be a problem. I thought, Wow, this is great! But then I began having diarrhea; and now, every time I eat even just a few of them, I get sick to my stomach - pretty severe nausea. That almost never happens to me. As long as I don't eat the cacao, I'm fine.

I tried the dried whole cacao beans and that was even worse. I even tried the fresh cacao beans blended with bananas, and that was definitely the worst of all. I had no problem with the bit of white fruit that surrounds the bean.

I've never eaten more than 2 tablespoons of the nibs in a day. Has anyone had a similar experience?

From a purely objective point of view, cacao nibs are toxic.

Last time I ate them, I was up till 4 or 5am, buying things online that I didn't need. If that ain't a drug, I don't know what is.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/2006 03:38AM by learningtofly.

learningtofly Wrote:
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> From a purely objective point of view, cacao nibs
> are toxic.
>
> Last time I ate them, I was up till 4 or 5am,
> buying things online that I didn't need. If that
> ain't a drug, I don't know what is.


Haha, so what did you buy?

Ally -

Why be eating nibs at all? Why not eat things that are more natural, easier to come by and don't cause problems?

Listen to your body!

GeneticPromise

The cacao grows right here, and my neighbor started some seedlings. She had told me the nibs just occur naturally in the bean once the bean starts to dry out. In fact, she claims a person could live on cacao and maca exclusively. (I don't think so, but oh well - she also smokes cigarettes and eats cottage cheese).

Since I seemed to have the same problem with the fresh cacao beans and the commercial "raw organic" nibs, I was wondering if there might be something toxic (at least to me, but possibly affecting others) in the actual chemical makeup of the bean.

If that's the case, then others should be aware of it.

Or maybe it's just me being allergic to cacao. I hadn't eaten any kind of chocolate for 20 years.

Of course, now that I know how it affects me, I won't be eating any more of it!

(Learningtofly, it sounds like you won't be eating any more of it either! You and NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNarz are funny! I laughed out loud at both of your posts!)

NNNNNarz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> learningtofly Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > From a purely objective point of view, cacao
> nibs
> > are toxic.
> >
> > Last time I ate them, I was up till 4 or 5am,
> > buying things online that I didn't need. If
> that
> > ain't a drug, I don't know what is.
>
>
> Haha, so what did you buy?

IIRC, it was a computer and software. THAT time.

Just say NO to cacao. Listen to Nancy Reagan.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2006 03:13AM by learningtofly.

As a die-hard chocolate lover I decided to try raw chocolate and was quite happy with the high - however, much to my dismay, it also had a pretty nasty come-down - so to me that would appear to indicate that cacao is a drug rather than a super health food. However, I still eat it in moderation. It's better than cooked chocolate, I figure, and I'm not about to give up chocolate. Aint happenin. But it's still a drug I think.

learningtofly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> IIRC, it was a computer and software. THAT time.
>
> Just say NO to cacao. Listen to Nancy Reagan.


Are you still using that computer?

Maybe it was meant to be.

NNNNNarz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> learningtofly Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > IIRC, it was a computer and software. THAT
> time.
> >
> > Just say NO to cacao. Listen to Nancy Reagan.
>
>
> Are you still using that computer?
>
> Maybe it was meant to be.

Nah, I turned around and sold it the next week. But at the time I bought it, I was so certain that I needed it. Ha.

cacoa is good as a treat. Certainly not a good to eat all day especially when you feel sick from eating it!

beware of any one food that is touted as a miracle good. Physical health is about boring old fruits, veggies, exercise and good mental health. No cacao is going to change that.

The main issue with health is not the lack of nutrients in the food. The issue is how nutrients are absorbed by the body. There is enough nutrients in food just around us, we do not have to go to the corners of the world to find cacao beans, maca, or any of the superfood some raw food fanatics are talking about

vegangoddess Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> beware of any one food that is touted as a miracle
> good. Physical health is about boring old fruits,
> veggies, exercise and good mental health. No cacao
> is going to change that.

Amen vegangoddess! There are no short cuts and no substitutions for our biologically adapted food -- fresh fruits and vegetables (with their electric charge still intact).

BTW, so-called "raw" chocolate is FERMENTED even though NFL typically fails to mention that. As a fermented food, these cacao beans will not grow. Is it really raw then?

What's wrong with fermented food? It's still vital. A friggin' banana won't grow anything either.

It's funny to see people having just strong (emotional) reactions. If people want to have some chocolate once in awhile more power to 'em. If they have a bad physical reaction they shouldn't eat it. If they don't they should (if they want to). Chocolate is very high in anti-oxidents.

NNNNNarz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What's wrong with fermented food?

It's not fresh. Whether that is significant or not depends on your point of view.

> A friggin' banana won't grow anything
> either.

A non-mutant, wild banana would grow other banana plants.

Depends on your definition of "not fresh". If I make some saurkraut in my kitchen with cabbage from the farmer's market picked three days ago it's technically fresher than a pineapple I could be eating grown in Central or South America.

I can understand all the diferent arguments. Saurkraut is popular in Poland, where I was born. In my first year of raw, I would argue with others that saurkraut was perfectly alright food to eat. I used to make it quite often, using the tradition Polish stomping method (the recipe is still on my website). Then, something happenned. As I was eating more and more raw foods, my taste for saurkraut completely diminished. I don't make it and I have no slightest desire for it anymore. I prefer my juicy fruit far more.

Similar things happened with other patterns and foods. Like garlic, which I used to love once.

Gosia


RawGosia channel
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I didn't think I would like Saurkraut, until I made my own. I think I've eaten it before and didn't like, but the stuff I made was great. I didn't have time to make any recently and bought some, I was able to eat it, but it was no where near as good as mine. The recipe I used is post in the recipe section of this forum, under a request for fermented foods recipes. I use a mix for red and green cabbage (with carrot, onion and garlic). It comes out bright pink.

I can't wait to make my next batch.

Cheers,
Ian.