Are Carob Chips Healthy?

Suffering from a chocolate allergy can put chocolate chips cookies and other chocolate desserts off your menu, but using carob chips as a replacement can offer a tasty alternative. These chips mimic the look and taste of chocolate, but they are made from carob -- a tropical plant -- powder. As carob chips contain no chocolate, you might think they are healthy, but don't be fooled. They contain quite a bit of calories and fat, around the same amount as chocolate chips.

Calories and Fat

Carob chips contain 170 calories per 1-oz. serving. This is slightly more than chocolate chips, which contain 142 calories per ounce. Both carob chips and chocolate chips contain roughly the same amount of fat: 10 g per oz. in carob chips and 8.1 g per oz. in chocolate chips. Most of the fat in carob chips derives from saturated fat as 1 oz. contains 8 g, a significant portion of the 15 g recommended limit.

Carbohydrates and Protein

One serving of carob chips provides 14 g of carbohydrates, or 4.3 to 6.2 percent of the carbohydrates your body needs each day. As it is more common to incorporate carob chips into a larger recipe, such as baked goods, your total carbohydrate intake is likely to be higher. Carob chips also provide 4 g of protein per serving; your diet should include 46 to 56 g of protein per day. However, carob chips are an incomplete protein, so you will not get all the essential amino acids you need by consuming them.

Vitamins and Minerals

Carob chips are a good source of potassium, calcium and riboflavin, or vitamin B-2, as the carob powder from which these chips are made is high in these nutrients. Due to the high vitamin and minerals content of these chips, they can aid in the health of your teeth and bones, help promote normal blood pressure and aid in the manufacture of red blood cells.

Substitutions

When substituting carob chips for chocolate chips, bake at a lower temperature as carob burns quite easily. You may also need less sugar in a recipe if you replace unsweetened chocolate with carob chips since carob is naturally sweet.

Benefits

Including carob chips in your diet may help you stay hydrated while suffering from diarrhea. Research published in the January 2002 issue of "Paediatric and Perinatal Oncology" reports that children in Third World countries are often treated with carob juice during illnesses that include diarrhea to keep them from dehydrating. More studies are needed to confirm carob's usefulness for this purpose. Consult your physician before using carob chips for medicinal reasons.