The carob is rich in antioxidants, and an alternative to using cocoa powder. The carob powder easily found in supermarkets or specialty stores has 38 calories per tablespoon and is a good source of vitamins A, B1 and B2, niacin, calcium and magnesium. In addition, it has no fats, gluten or any other protein.
You can find the carob powder to mix in the milk and add to the traditional recipes made with chocolate such as cookies and cakes but there are also industrialized carob products such as cereal bars and jellies.
One of the main advantages of using carob instead of chocolate is that the carob has no caffeine like cocoa or chocolate and therefore can be ingested by people sensitive to caffeine, even at night, without decreasing the quality of sleep.
What is Carob
Carob can be used as a substitute for chocolate but due to its medicinal properties, it can be indicated as an ally in cholesterol control, to lower triglycerides, to stop vomiting and diarrhea, and also useful against indigestion and heartburn. In addition, it has anti-reflux action being a good option to be used in infant formulas.
Foods fortified with carob can reduce the glycemic index of foods and so this is a good option to decrease the frequency of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia, helping to control diabetes.
How to Use Carob
Carob can be used as a powder in the preparation of foods such as cakes, puddings, cookies and candies, but carob gum serves as a thickener and can be used to thicken baby bottles that suffer from reflux to decrease the frequency of vomiting .
Carob gum for vomit
Mix 1 tablespoon gum with 1 cup of water and take the next. For babies the measurement should be from 1g of gum to 100ml of milk.
Locust bean gum is made from the carob pod before it is processed and processed into powder and it contains the fibers that help to reduce vomiting and is normally used as a thickener by the food industry in anti-reflux milks for example.
Carob meal against diarrhea
Mix 25g of flour in 1 cup of warm water or milk. Drink after each diarrhea.
This recipe of carob meal when mixed with sunflower seed flour and rice can be used against diarrhea even for infants and pregnant women.
Carbohydrate recipes
Gluten-free carob cake
This recipe is easy to make and contains no gluten being a good choice for anyone who has gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
Ingredients
- 350 g of sugar
- 5 eggs
- 150 ml of soybean oil
- 200 g of natural yogurt
- 30g carob powder
- 200 g cream rice
- 150 g of sweet sprinkles
- 150 g of potato starch
- 10 drops vanilla essence
- 10 g of baking powder
Method of preparation
Beat the eggs, oil, sugar, natural yogurt and the vanilla essence in the blender. Next, add the dried products, mixing well until a uniform dough remains. Finally add the yeast and stir gently to mix well. Bake in a greased and floured form for 25 minutes at 210ºC.
Carob cream for dessert
Ingredients
- 200 ml of milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons carob powder
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 stick of cinnamon
Method of preparation
Mix the cornstarch with the milk still cold and then dissolved add the other ingredients and bring to low heat for a few minutes, until thickened. When you reach this point, turn off the heat, remove the cinnamon stick, distribute in small pans and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve cold.
Nutritional information of Locust beans
The following table gives nutritional information for 100 g of carob powder, also called locust bean flour:
| Quantity: 100 g of carob powder | |||
| Energy | 368 kcal | Niacin (vit.B3) | 1.3 mg |
| Carbohydrate | 85.6 g | Folate | 29 mcg |
| Protein | 3.2 g | Potassium | 830 mg |
| Fat | 0.3 g | Calcium | 350 mg |
| Fibers | 5 g | Magnesium | 54 mg |
Thus, in addition to having a much lower fat content than cocoa, carob powder also has fibers and has no caffeine, not causing the worsening of problems such as insomnia, gastritis and migraine.
When not to be used
Carob must be used with caution by people with bowel obstruction or esophageal or bowel stenosis.
Carob is a pod of a tree called carob tree, dark brown to black with a sweet taste that can be used as a healthy substitute for chocolate. The carob can be found in the form of a pod with 8 to 12 seeds inside it, which can be used in powder form to be used in making food.
In addition to exchanging chocolate and cocoa for carob, see other healthy exchanges you can make for a better life with fewer illnesses in this quick, light and fun video by nutritionist Tatiana Zanin:
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