Health Benefits of Carob – Cleanse and Heal Your Body With Carob

Carob is rich in antioxidants, which help to defend your body from free radical damage. You can think of antioxidants as cell protectors, and free radicals as substances that come in and cause damage on a cellular level. A diet rich in antioxidants has numerous health benefits, and disease protective effects.

Carob is a good source of fibre, which can help to promote proper elimination. Carob also has binding qualities once it has reached the colon, and has the ability to draw water to itself. This is useful in cases of diarrhea. Carob has a mildly sweet, caramel/chocolate flavor. It is really quite tasty! I will warn you, you may be disappointed if you are expecting it to taste exactly like chocolate, because it does not. It is more earthy than chocolate, but still very good.

Health Benefits Of Carob :-

• Provides approximately 30% of your daily calcium requirements
• Excellent source of insoluble fibre
• Beneficial for gut health due to naturally occurring tannins (improves the effectiveness of certain digestive enzymes)
•  Antioxidant benefits due to  polyphenols
• Lowers cholesterol – carob contains polyphenols, which help blood cholesterol
• Antiseptic, anti-bacterial and anti-allergic benefits due to the gallic acid found in the tannins.
• Good source of selenium
• Good source of B vitamins – including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and folate
• Chemical free and preservative free

Energy Boost :-

All the calories in both carob and grape molasses come from carbohydrates. One tablespoon of either sweetener contains 60 calories and 14 grams of carbs. For overall health, you should get 45 percent to 65 percent of your calories from carbs. You need more carbs in your diet because it’s your body’s preferred source of energy, especially your nervous system, which includes your brain. As a type of sugar, carbs from foods such as carob and grape molasses are absorbed easily, acting as a quick source of energy.

Minerals in Carob Molasses :-

Grape molasses is not a source of any vitamin or mineral, but a 1-tablespoon serving of carob molasses meets 4 percent of the daily value for calcium and 5 percent of the daily value for iron. Although not a significant source of either nutrient, carob molasses can modestly increase your calcium and iron intake.

Alcohol free flavorings :-

Frontier Herbs, The Spicery Shoppe, and St John’s Herb Garden all have a fantastic range of natural, non-alcoholic liquid extracts like almond, lemon, banana, pineapple, peppermint and coconut. These natural extracts are made by squeezing the essential oils from the respective foods and then mixing it with either a vegetable oil base (usually soy) or glycerin base with water. The essence mixed with a glycerine base are the ones I purchase. Those with food allergies will need to be mindful about soy bases or each individual extract source.

Carob powder :-

Carob powder is ground from the seeds of long carob pods from the carob tree which is a tree related to legumes grown in the Middle East. Carob pods are between four and ten inches long, and are dark brown with a series of holes that each contain a seed like a watermelon. Each carob pod can contain up to fiften seeds. Both the seeds and the pod are edible. It is the seeds that are ground to make carob powder.

Blood Sugar Regulation :-

In addition to carob’s fibre content providing blood sugar regulating capability, it also contains D-chiro-inositol (DCI). DCI is a particular isomer of inositol that has been found to have many health benefits, one of which is reducing insulin resistance. This allows DCI to be a major contributor in the treatment of metabolic syndrome (Syndrome X).

Antioxidant, Calcium, and Selenium :-

The polyphenols found in carob are powerful antioxidants protecting your body from free radicals and environmental toxins. It is also naturally high in calcium, an essential mineral. A 1 cup serving of carob flour contains about 358mg of calcium providing roughly 30-36% of the recommended daily intake. Aside from keeping your bones healthy and strong, calcium is helpful in preventing blood clotting, transmitting information along the nerves and maintaining a regular heartbeat. Also containing selenium an important trace mineral. A 1 cup serving of carob flour contains 5.5 micrograms of selenium providing roughly 10% of the recommended daily intake.