Health Benefits of Cocoa Nibs and Its Nutrition

Cocoa is known to be the main ingredient in chocolate and is popular because of the flavor it gives to a variety of sweet dishes. But did you know cocoa nibs come with a plethora of nutrients giving some interesting health benefits? So, if you want to know about the amazing health benefits of cocoa nibs and their nutrition, then keep reading the article to find out more about it.

What Are Cocoa Nibs?

As indicated by the name, cocoa nibs are regarded as crumbled pieces of cocoa beans in dried form. The producers of the cocoa nib crack and dry the beans into a lot of tiny pieces. These are considered the ingredients utilized in the production of chocolate on the industrial level.

The cocoa beans originated from the Amazon area, particularly the upper region. While it is possible to grow the beans of cocoa in other areas, most of the cocoa beans happen to grow in South American areas, including countries like Ecuador and Brazil. Also, some beans also happen to grow in West African regions, Ghana and Ivory Coast.

The intensive chocolate flavor, as well as the tiny size of the cocoa nibs, call for a nickname given to – nature’s chocolate chips. You are able to find the cocoa nibs in multiple forms, including roasted, unroasted, raw, and cooked in the many food sections available in the grocery supply stores.

Health Benefits of Cocoa Nibs

Cocoa nibs come with multiple antioxidants in them. The antioxidants have the ability to alleviate the cellular damage happening in your body, which in turn helps in the prevention of conditions such as heart conditions, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Let’s see some of the major health benefits that come with the consumption of Nature’s chocolate chips or cocoa nibs.

Healthy GI Tract

The dietary fiber present in cocoa beans enhances the overall digestion happening in the body. The consumption of dietary fiber in your body helps to soften the movements of the bowel, helps in the prevention of hemorrhoids constipation, and supports other preventative measures against a number of digestion-related issues in people. What’s more, it contains a plethora of antioxidants, which help in the alleviation of inflammation happening in the body.

Cardiac Health

According to nutrition facts pertaining to one serving of cocoa, the cocoa nibs come with healthier antioxidants in comparison to red wine. Such flavonoids are associated with being helpful in the improvement of heart health.

That is why it is now fairly elucidated that the consumption of dark chocolate helps in the improvement of cardiovascular health. Those at risk of heart disease should consider consuming dark chocolate without additives and flavors such as sugars, etc., to prevent different health conditions in their body.

Better Mood

It has been indicated that eating chocolate is actually helpful for your mood. They come with some healthy fats as well as different other compounds, which may help in the elevation of different hormone levels such as serotonin as well as dopamine present in your brain. In return, it helps in improving your mood and making you feel overall active, happy, and fresh.

The different antioxidants present in the cocoa nibs also help to fight oxidative stress in your body, which in turn would help you feel calmer and more relaxed than otherwise.

Decreased Overall Risk of Stroke and Heart Attack

Cocoa nibs or simply consuming dark chocolate might elevate the healthy cholesterol levels in the body, known as HDL cholesterol. It helps in lowering your overall risk of getting myocardial infarction as well as stroke.

What’s more, cocoa nibs contain a healthy amount of potassium as well as flavonoids present in them. These components help in lowering your risk of cardiac disease as they support the reduction of the stress on your body cells. What’s more, it also helps in lowering your blood pressure.

Decreased Inflammation in The Body

There are certain compounds present in cocoa nibs that come with a multitude of anti-inflammatory properties. These help in the lessening of the risks that may cause heart disease, cancer, arthritis, depression, and diabetes.

What’s more, people with chronic inflammation have elevated inflammatory markers in their bodies, such as CRP protein and ESR. Consumption of antioxidants such as flavonoids helps in reducing inflammation, which is indicated by lower inflammatory markers lab values.

These are some of the health benefits of cocoa nibs. On the whole, the consumption of cocoa nibs helps in the alleviation of free radicals, which cause oxidative stress in the body. What’s more, they help in the reduction of the risk of a number of conditions that could be prevented. These include diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity, and many more.

Now that you know about the health benefits of cocoa nibs let’s move ahead.

Nutrition Facts of Cocoa Nibs

Cocoa nibs have a variety of nutrients present in them, which correspond to a multitude of health benefits to the body. Some of the nutrition facts of cocoa nibs are explained as under.

These are considered healthy options as they come with different antioxidants and minerals. The cocoa nibs are bitter in taste and come with a variety of nutrients that we will see below.

Cocoa nibs contain a massive variety of nutrients, some of which are enlisted as:

1. Iron
2. Potassium
3. Magnesium
4. Protein
5. Dietary fiber

On the whole, two tablespoons of cocoa nibs come with only 140 calories. In these calories, you get two grams of protein, 12 grams of healthy fat, six grams of carbs, one gram of sugar, and four grams of dietary fiber.

Cocoa nibs are considered to be full of minerals, including the lesser popular copper, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. For instance, magnesium is regarded as an essential mineral for carrying out the functions of more than 300 different enzymatic reactions in the body. However, many diets consumed by people are deficient in magnesium. By consuming cocoa nibs, you can overcome this deficit.

The manganese and phosphorus present in manganese help in the build-up of healthy bones. On the other hand, iron and copper are required to produce red blood cells in the body, which may help in the supply of oxygen in your body.

Better than Commercial Chocolate Chips

These are considered to be a healthier option than the commercial chocolate chips in different recipes. However, it is still important to consider the number of sweet dishes that you may include in your everyday diet.

It is because, generally, sweets come with white sugar, butter, and white flour that all contain extra calories with no added benefits. Just like other usual forms of cocoa beans available in the body, the cocoa nibs come with a specific quantity of caffeine in them and may help in the production of the same usual side effects. You might feel a disturbance in your sleeping pattern, for instance, if you are sensitive to caffeine and you have consumed a cocoa product containing caffeine in it.

How Do You Prepare Cocoa Nibs at Home?

You can include cocoa nibs in both sweet as well as savory dishes. You may want to roast cocoa nibs that are raw at home, or you might want to use them in their natural or unroasted form. On the other hand, it is a fact that roasted cocoa nibs are usually less bitter than their unroasted counterparts. That is why it is important to add less sweetener to the roasted nibs so that you avoid putting too much simple carb in the sweet dish that you are making. It will allow you to prepare healthy meals without breaking your balance.

Cocoa nibs come with the punch of bitterness that chocolate adds to different recipes. For instance, you may be able to enhance the recipes for a chocolate bar if you decide to add some cocoa nibs to the recipe. You can use the cocoa nibs in a variety of candy alternatives, including:

1. Add cocoa nibs to granola, trail mixes, oat brans, and other cereal forms.
2. Use cocoa nibs instead of chocolate chips while making brownies and cookies.
3. Add cocoa nibs to fruit smoothies to give them a rich taste.
4. Use cocoa nibs melted from over ice creams as toppings.
5. Blend cocoa nibs into mole sauces, such as Mexican mole sauces.
6. Use cocoa nibs in raw form as a power snack.

Final Word

Here are some of the health benefits, nutrition facts, and the ways through which you can consume these cocoa beans to avail of the health benefits. Cocoa nibs are getting more popular by the day because of their natural core and their no side effects. You can add them to a variety of not only sweet but also savory dishes to enhance the taste and the richness of different dishes. What’s more, by doing so, you work on improving the nutritional value of the food you are going to consume.