Chocolate is always a good idea. In a perfect world, everything would just be made of chocolate. However, ours is not a perfect world and consuming excessive sugar is detrimental to our health.
Chocolate in any form is always a welcome treat. I have always particularly enjoyed it as a bread spread. There’s something comforting about biting into bread and finding rich, sweet, and delightful chocolate in the middle.
As we grow older, we realize that there are things we cannot keep doing for our health’s sake. Our family has a long and running history of diabetes, so I decided to at least cut down on sugar. Needless to say, I had to give up chocolate and anything chocolate-y. Be that as it may, I am one stubborn and resourceful woman so I decided to look for alternatives. There is nothing that can get between me and my chocolate sandwich!
Today, I would like to introduce you to Roots Tigernut-Butter! I am talking specifically about the carob variant. You might think, "Roots Tigernut-Butter? Isn’t that just another peanut butter spread?" Absolutely not! Roots Tigernut-Butter has absolutely no peanuts, seeds, gluten, or soy. Therefore, it is 100% natural and allergen-friendly.
Before we go deeper into the specifics of the product, I would like to share a few things about the makers of the Tigernut-Butter, Roots. Roots is a small business that provides delicious and healthy nut butters for people who are allergic to or simply do not like peanuts, tree nuts, and seeds. Tigernut-Butters are handmade on special equipment.
Roots Tigernut-Butter is made of Organic tigernut flour, Avocado oil, Organic coconut sugar, Water, Carob Powder, Organic tigernut oil and Himalayan Pink Salt. Roots owes its product’s name to tigernut because this is the star of their product. So, what are tigernuts? As much as its name proclaims, tigernut is actually not a nut. It is, in fact, a small root vegetable native to Northern Africa and the Mediterranean. Tigernuts are high in vitamins C and E, zinc, magnesium, protein, iron, fiber, and potassium. They also contain natural sugar, healthy fats, and a high level of resistant starch. Hold up, resistant starch? Isn’t that a bad thing? Resistant starch reaches the colon intact, promotes prebiotic growth, and supports a healthy immune and digestive track. It can actually lower blood glucose levels and improve blood sugar sensitivity.
When I was reading about Roots Tigernut-Butter, another ingredient that jumped at me was carob powder. Carob powder, also known as carob flour, is a cocoa powder alternative. Its scientific name is Ceratonia siliqua. It is known for its sweetness, thus making it the perfect substitute for chocolate. Hence, Roots used it. Carob powder is derived made from dried and roasted carob tree pods. Did you know that despite its sweetness, singers chew on carob pods to maintain healthy vocal chords? It turns out, carob pods help soothe and cleanse their throats. Some even use carob chips as a substitute for chocolate chips. Carob contains a high amount of fiber, antioxidants, low amounts of fat and sugar. It has no caffeine and gluten.
I have to say that I have never been more excited about a delivery. It came the night before, so I decided to get the yummy in my tummy for breakfast before I head out to my morning workout. After putting a dollop of the Roots Tigernut-Butter on the bread, I immediately notice that it is not as chocolate-y brown as I hoped. But after the first bite, I have learned time and time again never to judge a book by its cover. What it might have “lacked” in color for me, it made up with the super chocolate-y taste! Apart from the level of sweetness, the chocolate flavor was so strong, I had to pick up the jar and look at the ingredients again. The breakfast left me satisfied and full, but not too full to exercise.
Together with my Nutra Botanics’ L-Carnitine Liquid 5000mg drink, I was bursting with energy by the time I got to the gym. The good thing is, it is not even sugar rush. If you want to keep enjoying chocolate spread without the harmful effects of sugar, then Roots Tigernut-butter in Carob is what you are looking for.