In his book Eat to Beat Disease, Dr William Li recommends eating foods that “switch on” the body’s natural health-defence systems, helping the body protect, repair, and regenerate itself.
The five health-defence systems he identifies are
1. Angiogenesis (blood vessel growth and repair), which can be stimulated by foods like turmeric and berries, and to some extent cacao
2. Stem cell generation and tissue renewal, aided by foods like cacao and black tea
3. Gut microbiome, fed by prebiotics (like leafy greens), probiotics (fermented foods), and polyphenol-rich foods (cacao)
4. DNA protection, stimulated by foods like garlic and walnuts
5. Immunity, boosted by citrus and green tea.
Dr Li recommends eating regular small doses of a variety of foods that activate these systems. What we like about his work is that he defines healthy eating more by what you eat than by what you don’t eat, which is a welcome change from the old “avoid fat and sugar” diet everyone’s mum seems to have been on periodically for that last thirty years.
Dr Li is (like the rest of us) a cacao fanatic. He devotes several pages on his website to cacao, and is doing the rounds on social media talking about stem cells. Let us dive in:
Stem cells are rare cells can transform into other cells, or multiply by themselves.
There are several types of stem cells, the most common being Somatic stem cells (coincidence? unlikely), which live in certain niches of the body, and have defined roles.
For example, bone marrow is home to hematopoietic stem cells, which can become blood cells, and mesenchymal stem cells, which can become bone, cartilage, and fat. There are neural stem cells in the brain, epidermal stem cells in the skin, various stem cells in the intestines, liver, etc. Stem cells replace worn-out or damaged cells and are vital for regeneration. There’s a lot of promising research into stem cell therapy for various conditions and diseases.
Dr Li writes about a study he was involved in at the University of California San Francisco where 60-year-old men with heart conditions were given a high-flavanol cacao drink (ie a cup of Soma). The men that drank this drink every day had twice as many stem cells active in their blood after a month than the control group. That’s a big deal for heart health.
As science delves deeper into everyday mysteries, we can use its findings to inspire a new way of life.
What we eat is not just a sum of calories and macronutrients, but the infrastructure for all sorts of physical, mental, and emotional processes.
Our morning cacao isn’t just a chocolatey indulgence; it’s a bugle call for an army of stem cells. It’s a treat to sit sipping on a delicious warm Soma, and think of all those lovely stem cells leaping out of bed, brushing their teeth and dressing quickly, then racing out into the bloodstream, cleaning, fixing, and caring wherever they go.
With blueberry powder for regeneration, chicory root for the microbiome, walnut butter for DNA protection, and cinnamon for immunity,
Rose, Alistair, and the team at Soma Cacao
