Antioxidants - Your Best Defense Against Disease and Aging
Studies support the benefits of eating a diet rich in fruits and
vegetables. This is due to their high antioxidant value. Why are
antioxidants so important? Because they have a proven track record
of fighting free radicals.
Your body is being constantly attacked by very harmful substances
known as free radicals or oxygen radicals. Free radicals can destroy
your cells, tissues and organs.
Free radicals are highly unstable molecules that are naturally
formed inside our bodies by the process of oxidation. They are
normal by products of everyday functions like digestion and physical
activity. Free radicals also come from outside sources, such as
smoking, environmental pollution, and synthetic chemicals that are
added to our water and food.
We are also all exposed daily to polluted air, ingest oxidized or
partially rancid foods, and oxidizing radiations from the sun and
various electrical appliances.
Free radicals lack one electron making them chemically unstable. To
stabilize themselves, they attack any other substance within reach
and steel an electron from it. This process creates a new free
radical, which repeats the process, producing a "domino effect."
When this reaction is uncontrolled, it can generate millions of free
radicals within seconds.
Fortunately our bodies come equipped with a free radical fighting
mechanism. It consists of specialized enzymes that have a "spare"
electron that they can give away without turning into free radicals.
In order to protect us, the enzymes need help from certain
substances known as antioxidants.
The antioxidant value of any food or supplement can be determined by
it's ORAC rating. ORAC means Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.
According to the University of Michigan, Comprehensive Cancer
Center, the measurement of ORAC is a way to measure how many oxygen
radicals a specific food can absorb. The more oxygen radicals a food
can absorb, the higher its ORAC score. The higher its score... the
more that food or supplement will help you fight diseases like
cancer and heart disease.
Most experts agree that we should consume 5,000 ORAC units per day
to effectively fight free radicals in the body. Sadly, most of us
average around 1,200 units per day. Not nearly enough to protect us
from the common ciseases of aging.
One of the best sources of antioxidants are berries and fruits. Most
of us would have a very hard time eating the large amounts necessary
to reach 5,000 ORAC units per day. For this reason, high ORAC
supplements have been created. They contain berry and fruit extracts
with a known ORAC rating. These supplements are inexpensive and
provide many health benefits to your entire body and brain. Many
people use these supplements as part of an anti-aging program.
Keeping your cells from being destroyed goes a long way to staying
healthy and young.
About the author: Brad Bahr is the author of many health related
articles and websites. He has been testing and reviewing health
supplements for many years. You can find more interesting health
related articles at his website: http://www.findustuff.com
MORE RESOURCES:
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The 9 Most Common Mistakes to Avoid When Reading a Food Label
NutrientsFat, Sugar, Sodium and CarbohydrateThe sections on a food label shows the name of a nutrient and the
amount of that nutrient provided by one serving of food. You may
need to know this information, especially if you have high blood
pressure, diabetes or are eating a diet that restricts certain
nutrients such as sodium or carbohydrates.
Calorie Deficit
I am sure you have heard you have to build more muscle so you can burn more fat. I'm sure you have also heard that you have to put your body into extreme calorie deficit in order to lose weight.
6 Power Foods For Your Heart
Heart disease remains the number one cause of death in the United States for both men and women. Traditionally, a low fat diet has been the prescription for heart health which causes many people to shrink away.
What You Need To Know About Inflammation
Inflammation is not a disease.Inflammation is best described as a defense mechanism to
limit tissue damage.
The Dangers of Honey
Before we get to honey we have a question from one
of our readers.Pam asks:What is your opinion of Splenda?Answer:Splenda is made by chlorinating sugar (sucrose).
The Cost Of Being Sick And One Possible Alternative: Glyconutrition
A lot of people I've talked with about health supplements usually are coming from about the same place - you know: "been there, done that." People are tired of hearing about the latest and greatest and - for the most part - figure that all supplements are pretty much the same.
The coq10 Benefit
Coq10 is also known as Coenzyme Q10.This co q10 is produced naturally in the human body, and is a source of various coq10 benefit.
Introduction to Detox Diets
Detoxifying the body has become an apparent key preventative measure to all kinds of health problems. Since most of us are busy, and unable or unwilling to maintain a strict diet in order to completely eliminate all the toxins from our body.
Taste the Good Health Fruit Called Apple
"To eat an apple before going to bed will make the doctor beg his bread"Apple is a cholesterol and fat free fruit packed with loads of vitamins and nutrients. Apple juice is delicious.
How Do You Know Your Nutrition is Working for You?
Please feel free to comment, so that the article may be developed.How would you like to know what is going on in you body?Are you healthy? How do you know? Is your lifestyle doing anything for you?Researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute have developed the Biophotonic Scanner.
Protein, Carbs and Fat: Learn How to Diet with Macronutrients
Weight loss plans are almost always trying to get you to get rid of some food that you love. However, the three macronutrients (Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat) as well as the unofficial fourth, water, are all necessary for good health.
Sugar Consumption Itself Has Become a Disease
Looking into statistics, we can see the average American consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of sugar each week. This might surprise you if not considering that highly refined sugars in the forms of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup are being processed into so many foods such as bread, breakfast cereal, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and a plethora of microwave meals.
Combat High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol with Soybeans
You may have heard of the "Portfolio Diet" wherein it has been clinically accepted that increasing the intake of soy based foods can reduce levels of LDL cholesterol as much as some statin drugs.Well, now it seems that soybeans have another health-giving quality: they also reduce blood pressure.
The Truth About Omega 3
Since Dr Basant Puri, a consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer at London's Imperial College MRI unit, released his findings on Omega 3 and its effect on brain function and depression, many studies have been performed regarding the beneficial effects this fatty acid. Studies over the past two years have consistently confirmed that Omega 3, a substance lacking in today's "diet" is a key component in the brain's development and proper functioning.
Grains That Cause Illness
Eating grain products - breads, cakes, cereals - have long been consider a healthy choice. If you look at the RDA recommendations, grains, at the bottom of the pyramid, are what you should be eating the most of to maintain a healthy body.
Essential Fatty Acids -The Good Fats
Fats (triacylglycerols) ..
The Skinny on Oats, Oatmeal, Vitamins, Nutrition for Skin Care and Bath Products
Oats (botanical name Avena sativa)An oat is a grass that produces a fibrous root and a hollow jointed stem with narrow, flat, pale-green leaves. Oats are native to southern Europe and eastern Asia.
Enzymes and Raw Food - Can You Cheat Time and Stay Young for Longer?
I'm going to be a bit radical here, but know that I'm only encouraging you to question and think and ideally do your own research, both theory and practice. I'm pretty confident that you'll thank me for it.
Good Meal Sizes and Frequency
Meal sizes and frequency are very important. Over the years people are amazed by how much food I eat at work in a day and part of this can probably be explained by decent genetics but more importantly I make sure that I have a higher metabolism by eating more smaller meals.
Just The Tea FAQs: Health Benefits (Part III)
The wonders of modern science continue to amaze us with new cures and essential information on healthy living: what to eat, what to drink, what do to; and, of course, what not to eat, drink, and do. All of this is quite wonderful.
|