Cocoa nibs
Other names Éclats de cacao, Grué de cacao
Cocoa nibs: high in nickel and oxalates; moderate in histamine and salicylate; low in FODMAPs and tyramine. If you're sensitive to any of these, check it against your profile before eating.
Intolerances
- NickelHigh
Cocoa nibs are the bean broken up and nothing else - no sugar to dilute the nickel, no milk. Weight for weight they are the highest form in which cocoa is eaten directly.
Sources· 2
- Flyvholm M-A et al., Z Lebensm Unters Forsch 179 (1984) 427-431, nickel content of food and estimates of dietary intake
- Noel L et al., Food Chemistry 132 (2012) 1502-1513, second French Total Diet Study, nickel among nine trace elements
- OxalatesHigh
Cocoa nibs are crushed roasted beans eaten as a snack - by the handful, unlike every other cocoa product here. That is what puts them at the top: not a higher oxalate concentration than cocoa mass, but a much larger portion.
Sources· 1
- Schroder T, Vanhanen L & Savage G, J Food Compos Anal 24:7 (2011) 916-922, oxalate content in commercially produced cocoa and dark chocolate
- Histamine (+liberators / DAO inhibitors)Moderate
Cocoa nibs are crushed roasted beans with nothing removed and nothing added - the rawest form on the histamine list, and the one eaten by the handful as a snack rather than by the square. The portion is the difference between nibs and a bar, and it is not in the nibs' favour.
Sources· 2
- Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
- Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
- SalicylateModerate
Crushed roasted cocoa beans with nothing added, so they carry cocoa's salicylate undiluted by sugar or milk. Eaten as a topping, which keeps portions small.
Sources· 1
- Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods
- FODMAPsLow
Cocoa nibs are low in FODMAPs, which surprises people who have found chocolate hard to tolerate. Cocoa itself carries little. What does the damage in a bar is usually the milk - lactose, the D of the acronym - or the inulin added as fibre in a reduced-sugar version. It is worth reading which.
- TyramineLow
Cocoa nibs are the rawest cocoa product and the one eaten by the handful rather than the square. Even so, the measured tyramine of cocoa is low - the portion multiplies a small number rather than a large one.
Sources· 2
- Gardner et al., J Clin Psychiatry 1996, the review that narrowed the MAOI diet
- Shulman KI et al., J Clin Psychopharmacol 9 (1989)
- LactoseFODMAPsNone
- GlutenNo
- FructoseFODMAPsNone
- OligosaccharidesFODMAPsNone
- SorbitolFODMAPsNone
- SucroseNone
Intolerance levels are based on our documented scientific sources. See sources →
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Frequently asked questions
Which intolerances does Cocoa nibs affect?
Cocoa nibs is notable for nickel, oxalates, histamine, salicylate, FODMAPs and tyramine. Clear on lactose, gluten, fructose, oligosaccharides, sorbitol and sucrose.
Does Cocoa nibs contain nickel?
Yes — Cocoa nibs is high in nickel. Cocoa nibs are the bean broken up and nothing else - no sugar to dilute the nickel, no milk. Weight for weight they are the highest form in which cocoa is eaten directly.
Does Cocoa nibs contain oxalates?
Yes — Cocoa nibs is high in oxalates. Cocoa nibs are crushed roasted beans eaten as a snack - by the handful, unlike every other cocoa product here. That is what puts them at the top: not a higher oxalate concentration than cocoa mass, but a much larger portion.
Does Cocoa nibs contain histamine?
Cocoa nibs contains moderate levels of histamine. Cocoa nibs are crushed roasted beans with nothing removed and nothing added - the rawest form on the histamine list, and the one eaten by the handful as a snack rather than by the square. The portion is the difference between nibs and a bar, and it is not in the nibs' favour.
Does Cocoa nibs contain salicylate?
Cocoa nibs contains moderate levels of salicylate. Crushed roasted cocoa beans with nothing added, so they carry cocoa's salicylate undiluted by sugar or milk. Eaten as a topping, which keeps portions small. Amounts vary by brand and recipe, so always check the label of the exact product.
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