- Antioxidants won't Cure Your Disease - While it is true that increasing the consumption of antioxidants has been shown to bring phenomenal health benefits, it is quite clear that they are not a "Miracle Cure" to what ails you.
- Antioxidants won't Bring Immediate Results - If you are hoping to get quick results, don't be fooled. Antioxidant consumption is a Long-Term Commitment. We are talking about your overall health and longevity, not a quick fix.
- Antioxidants won't Be Enough for Your Health - Increasing antioxidants by eating a varied and "colorful" diet has optimal benefit only if coupled with getting more exercise, reducing stress, stop smoking and removing environmental radiation.
What Will Antioxidants do?
According to Columbia University's Health Q&A Service Ask Alice -
"...it is possible that antioxidants can be beneficial in reducing the incidence of cancer, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, immune dysfunction, cataracts, stroke, and macular degeneration."
Columbia University researches claim that Antioxidants have the ability to reduce Free Radicals. Free Radicals are Oxygen Molecules that become electrically charged by losing an electron. This is a natural process that is called Oxidization, and is seen after you bite an apple and the white becomes brown.
Oxidization is natural, but deadly - and can be accelerated by stress, environmental radiation, smoking, etc. The Oxygen molecule starts robbing electrons from your body's healthy cells. These cells break down, releasing more electron deficient oxygen molecules. It is a domino effect that results in premature aging and dis-ease.
The body's cure is to introduce Antioxidants, which provide the missing electrons without having to rob them from healthy cells.
What Is The Best Way To Get Antioxidants?
Contrary to most of the mis-guided claims out there,
the worst way to get your Antioxidants is through supplements!
Supplements are problematic for a number of reasons:
- Pill Ingredients Are Often Non-Digestible - The body only recognizes food. Powders and extracts are not 'natural' in their true form. Often times, the body will reject most of the nutrient. (Take a vitamin B pill and see what color your urine is.)
- You Can "Over Supplement" Your Body - It is not recommended to take more than the recommended daily value of certain vitamins. This can lead to toxicity of certain organs, including the liver. Again, eating Antioxidant-rich food usually doesn't have the same effect.
- There Are Conflicting Studies - Until researchers are clear about the effects of supplements, it is best to steer away.
Here are some well-known Antioxidants and where they are found:
Vitamin A is in animal liver, dairy, and fish
Vitamin C is in bell peppers and citrus fruits
Vitamin E is in most oils, whole cereal grains, seeds and nuts
The mineral Selenium is in Brazil nuts, some meats, tuna, and some vegetables
The carotenoid Beta-Carotene is in carrots and pumpkin
The carotenoid Lutein is in green leafy vegetables
The carotenoid Lycopene is in red fruits and vegetables like tomatoes
Vitamin C is in bell peppers and citrus fruits
Vitamin E is in most oils, whole cereal grains, seeds and nuts
The mineral Selenium is in Brazil nuts, some meats, tuna, and some vegetables
The carotenoid Beta-Carotene is in carrots and pumpkin
The carotenoid Lutein is in green leafy vegetables
The carotenoid Lycopene is in red fruits and vegetables like tomatoes
So now ask yourself:
Did You Eat All These Organic Foods Today?
Most likely, you did not. So, if scientists tell us not to take supplements and only eat real food, but we don't have the time to eat all of these foods, and probably not the income to afford organic foods, what is the best way to get these Antioxidants?
Oh wait! Did you think you should cook your foods? Well, most vitamins and other Antioxidants are destroyed by heat. So, that means, if you want to get the optimal value for your health, you should eat raw vegetables! Not only is this impractical, in reality, our bodies are not very capable of digesting raw foods any longer. Eating raw can cause malnutrition for bodies that are not used to it.
The best way to cook your vegetable is to steam them! Yuck. I am sure most people will agree that steamed vegetables are not the tastiest.
Best Way To Get Your Antioxidants Is Through "Super Foods!"
The term 'super food' is used in many ways. Certain naturally occurring plants are considered super foods because of their nutritional values.
Another way to use the term 'super foods' is to describe formulas of ingredients put together in an as-close-to-natural state as possible. By taking certain plants and ingredients, with minimal processing and heating, and putting them together into a food form, your body will digest the Antioxidants just like regular food and get optimal results, without the risks associated with supplements.
Juice has been known to be very digestible. That is why Antioxidant Juice is considered the best way to get all your necessary Antioxidants.
A Word Of Caution On Juices
There are several issues with juices not made at home. Here are some things you should watch out for:
- Non-Organic
- From Concentrate
- Addition of Sugar
- Addition of Artificial Preservatives
- Addition of Artificial Sweeteners
If you are serious about your health, stay away from Antioxidant Juice products that skimp and give out cheap products.
What Antioxidant Juice Is Best For Me?
You can get Antioxidant Juices from grocery stores, online stores or independent distributors. Most of the cheap varieties contain in-organic ingredients and are full of sweeteners.
Prices range from $8 to $65 for a 32 oz. bottle! So you can see, there is variety. But, you usually get what you pay for.
Another problem with Antioxidant Juice is in the actual ingredients.
Watch Out For Filler Ingredients!
Good ingredients with high Antioxidant value is expensive. So, most companies only put a few quality ingredients in their formulas and fill the rest of the bottle with regular fruit juice of little Antioxidant value.
It is best to find a product that has a great variety of high-Antioxidant ingredients. This is the only way to guarantee that you are getting as many of the Antioxidants as you can.
Just like eating a varied diet of 'many colors', it is best to find Antioxidant Juice with as many types of Antioxidants as possible.
