Antioxidants and Cacao
Antioxidants are found in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and some root crops. To name some antioxidants we have vitamins C and E, carotenoids, flavonoids, tannins, phenols, and lignans. You may find interesting that cacao has more flavonoids than any other food in terms of weight.
On the ORAC scale, cacao one of the highest scoring foods with an antioxidant level score of 95,500 raw and 26,000 when roasted. Coffee only scores about 17,000 and blueberries only about 4,600.
Why is this important to know? Because antioxidants are good for your overall health. Routinely, our body's cells release free radicals, or oxidants to fight pathogenetic microbial invasions like diseases or infections. However if there is an excess of free radicals and oxidants, the body experiences a state referred to as oxidative stress. Oxidative stress contributes to the deterioration of all body systems and contributes to inflammation, cancer, and disease. This is where our antioxidants come in.
Antioxidants produced partly by the body and partly from our food come to the rescue to bring balance to the body's systems and cells. Antioxidants destroy and eliminate excess free radicals that cause oxidative stress. This is why they are known to prevent cancer and other disease because they balance the body helping it function and defend itself properly.
This is why it is important to eat a healthy amount of antioxidant rich foods as a part of your diet to maintain overall wellness and balance in your body. Many superfoods like cacao that are especially rich in flavonoids are known to prevent a multitude of chronic and degenerative conditions. Some conditions these that antioxidants are known to fight off are cancer, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, aging, cataract, memory loss, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammation, and infection.
Téo is not just a delicious drink, it also contains tons of antioxidants and minerals to help keep your body balanced! You can enjoy this superfood as a part of your daily routine.