Cacao: King of Superfoods

Cacao beans, also known as cocoa beans, are one of the absolute best things you could possibly eat...
Why? They're pact full of antioxidants.  So, what's so great about antioxidants?

Antioxidants stop the oxidation of cells in the body.  When cells become oxidized they can form free radicals.  Free radicals are atoms with an odd number of electrons.  The reason why free radicals are dangerous is that they can form negative chain reactions in our bodies by damaging healthy cells.  When a free radical damages a healthy cell, that cell becomes unstable and starts damaging other healthy cells, and those cells also become unstable and start damaging even more healthy cells, etc etc.  This is how cancer spreads in our bodies.  What antioxidants do is they stop free radicals from creating unstable cells in our body, consequently helping prevent cancer and other illnesses (such as cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and skin damage).  While free radicals speed up our body's aging process, antioxidants slow it down.  Some research has even found that antioxidants help improve memory function.

Anyway, the list can go on and on about how beneficial antioxidants are for the body. So, why should we be eating raw organic cacao beans (instead of other antioxidant rich foods)? Because, cacao beans have the highest concentration of antioxidants compared to any other food in the world! As many of you probably know, wild blueberries are praised for being rich in antioxidants.  Well, compared to the 61 antioxidants present in wild blueberries, cacao beans have 621 antioxidants!

In addition to this, cacao beans have the highest magnesium content than any other food in the world.  Magnesium, which just so happens to be the number one mineral deficiency in the United States, has an abundance of health benefits to offer.  Some of these health benefits are: "transmission of nerve impulses, body temperature regulation, detoxification, energy production, and the formation of healthy bones and teeth," (http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/Magnesium-health-benefits-supplements/2011/01/20/id/369647).  From personal experience, I can say that magnesium also helps alleviate menstrual pains and cramps for women.

Another great thing about these beans are that they contain the highest levels of chromium than any other food in the world! Chromium, which happens to be the number one trace mineral deficiency in the United States, also has a great deal of health benefits to offer: "Chromium helps metabolize carbohydrates. It monitors blood sugar levels, and helps stabilize blood sugar. It can also prevent hypertension or high blood pressure. Although trials are still being conducted, chromium compounds are considered helpful in preventing memory loss and in treating Alzheimer’s disease.There are several other chromium benefits too. Regular intake of chromium as a health supplement reduces the risk of heart disease. It raises heart rate while also having the ability to ward off infections and protect cells from damage. Additionally, it reduces hunger, which aids in weight loss," (http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/chromium-health-benefits-nutrition/2011/01/21/id/369681). 


Finally, cacao beans contain extremely high levels of vitamin C !
While most people are aware of the health benefits related to the consumption of vitamin C (especially in helping prevent/recover from the common cold), vitamin C can actually help prevent cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. When we are stressed out, our bodies start producing high amounts of adrenaline as a response.  High levels of vitamin C are burned during the production of adrenaline, which in turn weakens our immune system and makes us vulnerable to all kinds of health risks. So, maintaining high levels of vitamin C in our body is extremely important. 


So, the next time you go shopping for superfoods, make sure to get a bag of organic, raw cacao beans! 

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-Ani