Cocoa is the primary food source for chocolate and the cocoa used for this purpose primarily undergoes roasting before every other manufacturing procedures. Raw chocolate on the other hand is not made with roasted cocoa unlike other usual chocolates, but it also contains some other ingredients like sugar, butter, and milk. Raw chocolate is the best form of healthy chocolate you can consume, it contains less sugar but more vitamins alongside critical minerals which include; magnesium, iron, phosphorous and calcium.
Cocoa bean contains almost the same caffeine levels found in coffee bean, the caffeine found in unroasted or unprocessed cocoa is quite higher than what obtains in roasted cocoa beans . Caffeine is notable for increasing heartbeat rates, and anxiety levels. Caffeine provides short energy burst and after that it reduces the level of energy in the body. One of the likely side effects if consuming raw chocolate or raw cocoa is sleep apnea; it is adviseable to consume raw chocolate early in the morning if you do not plan to sleep.
Caffeine found in raw cocoa can be very addictive, it also makes chocolate consumption very addictive to some people as well, but if you can exercise some control over it, you will definitely reap the wards of the nutrients in cocoa.
The Hallucinogenic effects of raw chocolate are one other thing you must consider if you consume cocoa in its raw form. The Hallucinogenic effects of cocoa can only be felt when you consume averagely more than 40 cocoa beans, thus you may not feel it consuming less. The hallucinogenic effects of raw cocoa is similar to LSD and it will take about 40-50 cocoa beans to produce a milk chocolate bar , this also means you can feel the hallucinogenic effect of cocoa by consuming around 7 bars of chocolate at a time.
Theobromine is another stimulant found in raw chocolate or raw cocoa which is quite toxic to some dogs. Researches have confirmed that Theobromine- a natural substance found in cocoa can affect the central nervous system of a dog and a dog that consume excess chocolate will display some symptoms which include ; vomiting, excessive urination, and hyper-activity, some dogs may show symptoms of aggravated Theobromine stimulation seizures and irregular heartbeats.
Beware of unsanitary ingredients in raw chocolates. Un-processed chocolates may come with some unsanitary ingredients such as animal hair, and some traces of rodents or insect faecal droppings. Those who consume raw cocoa that has not been properly cleaned and prepared can expose themselves to dangers of consuming cocoa with faecal materials of animals. Commercially processed cocoa beans would have eliminated any forms of germs or diseases that could arise from such unsanitary ingredients making such products much safer than raw beans.
Eating cocoa is SAFE for many people. Cocoa has caffeine as well as related chemicals. Having large amounts may cause the caffeine associated side effects like nervousness, high urination, sleeplessness as well as fast heartbeat.
Cocoa will cause the constipation, allergic skin reactions, and may trigger migraineheadaches. This will as well cause the digestive complaints that include nausea, stomach rumbling, intestinal discomfort, as well as gas. The cocoa butter that is used on skin seems to be very safe for many people. It will, however, cause the rash. Cocoa in the larger amounts is UNSAFE due to caffeine that it has. Caffeine found in the cocoa crosses placenta making fetal blood concentrations same to mother’s levels. Even though controversial, some of the evidence suggests that the high doses of the caffeine during pregnancy may be linked with the premature delivery, miscarriage an low birth weight. Some of the experts also advise keeping the caffeine consumption to below 200mg per day during the pregnancy.