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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookMy first post here – hello everyone…
Ive recently started taking Chantix again to quit smoking.
Around the same time I started putting about a tablespoon of cocao beans in my green smoothie every morning.
Ive always been pretty sensitive to things like gensing and caffiene…
Im having this thing that I get when Im really stressed out where I have trouble catching my breath.
Feels like I have to yawn all the time and I cant. Also a tad bit irritable.
Ive taken Chantix once before and never had these symptoms so Im wondering if it could be the cocao.
Also – Im assuming that cocao is just as bad for dogs as regular chocolate? Does anyone know the facts around that?
I used to share my green smoothie with my dog everymorning and havent been lately because of the cocao.
The painful “wheres mine” look Ive been getting is killing me!
Thanks
Comments
Since you are sensitive to foods, I would suggest laying off the cocoa beans for a week or so since you are just starting on Chantix. Then slowly work up to the 1T of them in your smoothie. See if that resolves issues you describe.
For the dog, I wouldn’t feed him/her cocoa. A suggestion about the smoothie is to make your green smoothie without cocoa. Give a portion to the dog. Leave a little in the blender, add the cocoa to grind for you. Add the rest of your portion back into the blender and whiz with cocoa portion. Everyone is satified. Gotta take care of our companions. :)
I believe that chocolate can be fatal to animals, so I agree with Bluedolfin. No cacao! (sorry for stating the obvious).
I know the vet and shows I have watched on TV say to not give your animals chocolate…the smallest bit can be fatal. Are you sure the anxiety and irritability is not related to the Chantix. Not to worry you but I have heard about some bad side effects from this medicine. Please don’t feed your dog chocolate..I wouldn’t chance it!!
Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have not posted this here… I may have once, but I deleted the post!
I have the exact same symptoms! I have trouble catching my breath…. and some days I yawn constantly… I seem to do this to catch my breathe, and 1 out of 10 yawns is successful. At times, this makes me irritable… but, I try to cope. I’ve had these symptoms for months.
Some days are better than others… and, I’ve been trying to figure out for the longest time if it’s something I’m eating during those “bad days”... or before those days… or if it’s because I’m not having good bowel movements.
I had a cleanse done… and that really helped me for 6 months… which is when they said to return for a mini-cleanse and I never returned… so my symptoms returned at the 6-month mark.
Do you get a lot of burping/gas? I tend to burp a lot when I have the most trouble catching my breathe. In Jan 2007, I started juicing and one month after, got these symptoms you described. I started on 90% raw foods for 2 months and wasn’t getting better; I was getting worse! This is when I went for my cleanse and had a great healthy 6 months. My symptoms are much milder than before the cleanse; and I am grateful for the cleanse, but still trying to figure what causes the symptoms.
I’ve never smoked in my life and have never been sensitive to anything. So, I don’t know if the cause is the same for you as it is for me. I thought it was sugar-related… or certain spices… but I will pay attention to see if its cocoa.
Hi Revraw,
I’m pretty positive there is a lot of caffiene in the raw cacao. So if you’re sensitive to it … that’s probably it.
Also, there is no question … the chocolate will be fatal for your dog. It contains something called “theobromine” that is poisonous to dogs. It’s a natural stimulant that increases urination, affects the central nervous system and the heart muscle. Google it for more info.
Hi Revraw, cacao is a stimulant and has caffeine in it. I have found if I take too much cacao I can get wheezy and anxiety symptoms. Best to use it as a treat now and then.
Thanks, everyone.
I made this post in my crazed chocolate stupor. I followed your advice and quit all the cocao and have returned to ‘normal’.
God. No wonder David Wolf seems so completely over the top. He’s hopped up on pure caffeine! : )
I was hopping it was the processing of the chocolate that made it so bad for dogs. Since the raw version is so good for us – I was just hoping it would be ok for her. Now that Ive come down from my chocolate induced high – I see that that was a stupid question.
german88 – its the cocao.
; )
I also get anxiety symptoms from cacao. Store-bought cooked chocolate didn’t do this to me because it was so diluted, but the fresh stuff does. I’m also sensitive to caffeine. Well, in a nut shell, cacao is a stimulant and while some rever in it, others believe that it should be used sparingly. I’m with the latter. – And like the others said, no cacao for doggies! You can just omit it when giving green smoothie to your dog :)
Wow, I’m giving up cocoa for 2 weeks to see what happens. I do have good health (no-anxiety symptoms) days… but I never noticed if cocoa had anything to do with it.
I have a strong sweet tooth… hope I can make it! :o)
Thanks ALL!
I’m not a fan of cacao either. It’s good once in a while, in small amounts, if right after I eat it I’ll be surrounded by people. Otherwise it causes me to I guess binge eat and then it leaves me feeling very depressed. I wasn’t a chocolate eater before I went raw, and I guess things really haven’t changed!!
Sorry people, but cacao does not contain caffeine. It contains a chemical known a theobromine. Theobromine occurs only in cacao and is categorized as a stimulant. Here is some more info on theobromine to help clear things and debunk the myth of caffeine in chocolate. If you listen to some of David Wolfe’s lectures he even states that theobromine is the stimulant in cacao. You can listen to some of his lectures on youtube.com This guy has done a lot of research in his lab on raw foods and def. knows his stuff.
V
Just to add more anxiety, a chocolate bar can trigger both a seizure and a migraine to my sister, and not two weeks ago I had a whole lot and got a bit of rapid heart rate that lasted about an hour. We’re both very sensitive to alcohol, chocolate, and coffee. But I’ll never give up my chocolate, just go with moderation.
Cocoa DOES contain caffine, but very little. Humanimal is right about the theobromine, but it is very closely related to caffine and produces much of the same effects at a slightly lower rate. Acutally guarana, coffee, cocoa and yerba mate, even some in carob, all contain theobromine, so for most people when we talk about the effects caffine we're also saying theobromine without even knowing it.
I had never heard of not giving a dog chocolate until I was older. When I was young we had a cocker spaniel named "Cocoa" named so because of his love for Chocolate "milk duds". when we walk to the candy store Cocoa always went along and he refused to leave unless he got his candy the milk duds of course. He loved them and I do not remember him ever getting sick. He was always healthy up until some creep shot him.