Carob Chips Vs. Chocolate Chips

With so much emphasis on healthy eating these days, people are always in search of healthier and more nutritious alternatives to the foods that they consume. Alternatives, which are not only better health-wise but taste good as well, have seen a rise in demand.

For example, many people are substituting cows milk with soy milk, and chocolate chips with those made of carob. So, is carob really a better alternative to chocolate? Let's find out.

First of all, let's start with dispelling a few myths. Many people are of the view that carob is actually a type of chocolate. This is far from true. Carob is actually a fruit of the carob tree named "Ceratonia Siliqua". The fruit of this tree is dark brown in color and each leaf has anywhere between six to ten of these round pods/fruits.

On the other hand, chocolate is obtained from the seedy fruits of the Cocoa Tree. As you can see, both their sources are different, and they are not at all similar in anything, except for maybe their taste.

Speaking of taste, carob has more of an earthy taste while chocolates are more bitter and sharp. That's why, when it comes to their usage preference while preparing cookies or any other desserts, people go by the taste they prefer. Some find the natural appeal of carob pleasing while others like the tantalizing taste of chocolate.

Mixing carob with honey to get a distinct flavor and taste is preferred by many too. While those who want the best of both worlds, go in for half carob chips and half chocolate chips in their recipes.

Nevertheless, carob is somewhat sweeter than chocolate, so those of you who are thinking of replacing chocolate with carob chips while preparing a dessert, should keep the amount of chips same but bring down the amount of sugar by about a third.

Thus, for the weight watches, carob is definitely a better option. The second thing in favor of carob is that unlike chocolate which contains caffeine and many other harsh chemicals, carob is all natural and has no caffeine. That's why, people who are allergic to caffeine can use carob instead.

However, one benefit of chocolate over carob is that it is high in proteins and it is a kind of mood enhancer.

Besides the taste, people use carob chips as an alternative to chocolate chips because the former is supposed to be healthier than the latter. Carob consists of natural sugars and on top of that it has almost sixty percent fewer calories than chocolate. The recipes that you prepare with carob will have lesser calories than those prepared with chocolates.

As you can see, there are numerous health benefits of both carob and chocolate. Taste wise too, they are good and preferred by people according to their individual liking. Carob aids in digestion, does not contain any stimulants or chemicals, is lesser in fats and is non-acidic.