too much Cacao?/food challenge

[Guest guest]

Cravings, while some may consider them an actual need for something in

the food, may be a sign of imbalance. You should be able to tell best

by paying attention to your own body. While quite tasty and enjoyable,

I recognize cacao to not be an ideal " food " . It may seem to offer a

" boost " , but then can also " drop " the eater. I find, if I am going to

eat cacao on a regular basis, it is probably best to only eat it once a

month or so, at the most once a week. When I eat it a few days in a row

I notice my energy level is not as good and I feel less vibrant. I may

be a bit more lethargic, as well. It may be subtle and I may be more

sensitive to the effects of some foods than others, but this may offer

you some insights. I try to balance the taste treat and fun with

optimizing my health and potential. Sometimes I'll opt for more fun and

taste treats (especially when developing new recipes), but I still

notice the down side.

 

Some symptoms of cacao use: grinning, giggling (OK, just joking)...

increased sweating, nervousness, heart palpitations, and decreased

appetite. Withdrawals may include headache and lethargy.

 

Notice how you feel before and after you eat cacao (including hours and

days after). If you do continue to eat it consistently, then take

occasional breaks (a couple weeks or a month) to see how you are really

reacting to the cacao. You can even do a " food challenge " , eating a

fairly clean raw diet, avoiding foods that may be more of a problem

(garlic, onion, corn, nightshades, etc.) for several weeks to a month,

then " challenge " the food. The challenge is adding the " food " in a pure

form, back into the diet. For cacao, that would mean eating some raw

cacao beans or nibs (straight - not with sweeteners, nut milks, etc.)

in the morning. Perhaps at lunch, eat some cacao powder (in water).

It's important to not add a lot of new things at the same time (eating

complicated cacao cookies or truffles may be challenging the

combination of sweets/fats/cacao, instead of just the cacao. Once the

foods have been eaten, notice the effects (that day and the days

after.) Food challenges can be done for many different foods. It is

important to leave a couple days in-between challenges so negative

effects from one challenge are not confused with another. It's also

good to challenge foods that are likely to cause milder reactions first

(if doing more than one challenge.) Do those foods that may cause the

strongest reactions last. Try to eat simple foods consistently during

the challenge process.

 

Jeff

 

> I've been craving cacao like crazy these days. I'm making 1/2-3/4 cup

> of thick, fabulous, cocoa a day. I'm probably eating 2 tablespoons of

> cacao everyday. Should I lighten up?