Did you realize that aging, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Type II diabetes, cataracts and arthritis are all caused or worsened by the same health-wrecking “monsters?”
Free Radicals Are Dangerous
These creatures are inside ALL of us and they aren’t always bad guys…but when they are allowed to get out of control for a long enough period of time they will begin to unleash their wrath.
Then your health begins to crumble and/or you start looking old. These mysterious monsters I’m referring to are free radicals….and they some of them are bad critters!
What exactly is a free radical? (This may be a bit technical but stick with me here)
A brief but simple chemistry lesson is needed for this:
Your body is made up of cells. Each cell is made up of smaller units called molecules, and each molecule is created by one or more tiny atoms. Atoms have a nucleus (the center), protons (positively charged particles in the nucleus) and electrons (negatively charged particles surrounding the atom). The number of protons in an atom determines the number of electrons the atom needs.
Electrons “orbit” around the atom in one or more shells–they look like the rings around Saturn. Atoms are always striving to fill their rings with the proper number of electrons. Sometimes atoms will “share” an electron to get the right number – these are called bonded atoms. Free radicals are created when a bonded atom splits away from its partner atom and ends up short one electron. The free radical is VERY unstable and “attacks” other atoms to “steal” the needed electron.
When an “attacked” atom has one of its electrons stolen, its cell can be harmed or destroyed.
This process is called oxidation and it’s pretty similar to what happens when your car gets rusty or an apple turns brown.
Or, the atom “robbed” of its electron can itself become a free radical and in turn attack another atom. A chain reaction can result with atoms frantically attacking each other to get their missing electron…with LOTS of inflammation being created as a result.
Now you know exactly what free radicals are…but there’s much more. Free radicals — the good and the bad
When people hear about the electron-stealing chaos I described above, they automatically think that ALL free radicals are bad.
That’s not 100% accurate.
Free radicals are actually a natural part of your metabolism. Your cells need to burn oxygen to keep you alive and during this process, they create free radicals.
Believe it or not, free radicals do help you… by destroying viruses and bacteria, controlling blood flow through your arteries, keeping your brain sharp and even killing cancer cells.
The real danger is when free radicals get out of control – that’s when they become a health-destroying monster, lighting fires of inflammation, encouraging disease and killing your cells (so you begin looking old).
What makes this worse is that we can also get bombarded with free radicals from the environment — from eating foods with trans-fats, from chemicals and pollutants, and ESPECIALLY from cigarette smoke.
Take a good look at someone you know that’s smoked for a long time. I’d be willing to bet dollars to donuts they look older than their years. That’s free radicals in action, destroying their cells
Thankfully, there are some very effective ways to “calm down” free radicals and get them under control so they can’t take their health toll on YOU.
Here are four free radical “busters” that can help stop ‘em dead in their tracks:
1) Stop smoking
Every time you puff on a cigarette, you put out the welcome mat for countless free radicals to flood your body and make you look old (among other things).
There is a huge variety of stop smoking programs and aids out there. Pick one and put that deadly habit behind you for good.
2) Avoid trans-fats at all cost
Trans-fats are basically poison to your body. They spur the formation of free radicals and basically make your arteries resemble French fries.
What makes them extremely dangerous is that they’re not from Nature, so you don’t have the enzymes to break them down. That means they’re VERY tough for your body to eliminate and have free reign inside of you. Plus, once you ingest them, they reproduce by the billions, causing what chemists have called a “free radical cascade.” Trans-fats are found in processed foods, fast food and baked goods of ALL kinds.
The good news is they’re easy to spot — any time you see a food label that says hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil or shortening, avoid it like the plague.
3) Get antioxidants from your food or supplements
Simply put, antioxidants are vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that occur naturally in foods. Antioxidants help to control free radicals by surrounding and engulfing them. At this point the antioxidant itself becomes a free radical; however, it is a weak one that is far less likely to do harm to your body. Plus the engulfed free radical can be turned back into an antioxidant with the help of another antioxidant–so it gets “recycled” back into a good guy.
The best-known antioxidants are vitamins C and E, lipoic acid and Coenzyme Q10. Here the quick lowdown on each:
1. Vitamin C
Food sources: Citrus fruit, tomatoes, red peppers, broccoli, cranberries, cabbage, potatoes, guava, strawberries, kiwi.
Vitamin C can’t be produced by the human body and therefore must be obtained through food or supplementation. It’s a key antioxidant — take a look at its impressive resume:
* Cancer prevention by protecting DNA from free radical damage
* Strengthens immune function, thereby helping to reduce the length and severity of colds
* Protects sperm from free radical damage
* Fights the development of wrinkles by enhancing the production of collagen in the skin cells
* Works with Vitamin E to prevent atherosclerosis and heart disease
* Cataract prevention
2. Vitamin E
Food sources: Wheat germ oil, sunflower seeds, vegetable oils, turnip greens, nuts, nut butters, rice bran oil, barley and avocado.
Like vitamin C, vitamin E is also a key antioxidant and cannot be produced by the human body. It too must be obtained through food or supplements.
Here are some of the ways it enhances your health:
* Keeps your skin youthful by protecting against damage from UV radiation and ozone
* Relieves symptoms of arthritis and inflammatory conditions
* Reduces the risk of prostate cancer and can stop the growth of breast cancer cells
* Decreases the risk of heart disease
* Enhances immune function
* Cataract prevention
3. Lipoic acid (also known as alpha lipoic acid)
Food sources: Potatoes, spinach and red meat, but it’s mainly synthesized by your body.
Lipoic acid is very versatile and able to track down free radicals wherever they lurk. It’s is also the only antioxidant that can recycle other antioxidants. It helps your cells produce ATP, which is your body’s main form of energy.
Lipoic acid also helps in these ways:
* Protects against stroke, heart disease and cataracts
* Strengthens memory and prevents aging of the brain
* Prevents and relieves complications of diabetes
* Shuts down genes that can accelerate aging and cause cancer
* Treats liver diseases such as hepatitis C
4. Coenzyme Q10 (also known as CoQ10)
Food sources: Oily fish (such as salmon and tuna), organ meats (such as liver), and whole grains. CoQ10 is also synthesized by your body.
CoQ10 is a key antioxidant involved in the Krebs cycle, which is how your body produces energy. It also recycles vitamin E and offers protection against UV radiation-the leading cause of skin aging and skin cancer.
CoQ10 supplementation is wise for people taking statin drugs, since statins inhibit the synthesis of CoQ10 in your body.
Here are some other ways CoQ10 helps you:
* Helps prevent and treat heart disease
* Rejuvenates brain cells and may aid in the prevention of Alzheimer’s
and Parkinson’s diseases
* Treats gum disease
4. GET THEM AND USE THEM
Now, it’s one thing to take in antioxidants, but you also have to make sure that your body is actually absorbing and using those nutrients…and that, my friend, depends on your digestion.
You can eat all the antioxidant-loaded foods on the planet or swallow a boatload of supplements, but if your digestion isn’t efficient, you’re doing nothing but wasting money and fooling yourself. Oh, and giving free radicals the green light to destroy your cells too.
But the Great Taste No Pain health system can help make sure YOUR digestion is what it needs to be.
Great Taste No Pain teaches you how to put together meals (many of which feature the antioxidant-rich foods I mentioned above) that are a breeze for your system to digest.
Complete, efficient digestion = better nutrient absorption = fewer dangerous free radicals inside of YOU.
And by the way, better digestion also means more regular bowel movements, and less gas, bloating, constipation and acid reflux.
5. Now rest assured that eating and absorbing your antioxidants is not only a good idea, but it also tastes terrific!
The Great Taste No Pain recipe book is loaded with delicious ways to enjoy natural food sources of antioxidants (and many other key nutrients). And of course, Great Taste No Pain can help you further by giving you delicious ideas for enjoying the sources of many phytochemicals.
Free radicals are all around us and their health-destroying capabilities have caused a multitude of suffering for millions.
But that doesn’t have to include YOU. Because now that you know about the free radical “busters” you can help keep those monsters at bay, lessen your chances of a serious disease and help look younger in the process!
PS: Shirley’s son gets compliments on his skin now…and he’s free of IBS to boot:
Sherry:
I requested your Great Taste No Pain plan on behalf of my son after searching the internet for help and advice on IBS. It’s now approximately 6 weeks since he started on your plan.
Within the first 4 days he noticed an improvement in acid production and stomach cramps and his skin quite surprisingly appeared fresher and he had fewer breakouts. Having suffered with acne for quite a few years and having subsequent hospital treatment which only gave him minor relief, this improvement was welcomed.
His bowels also slowed down too. He stopped his medication more or less right away.
Today he is pain free, has regular bowel movements and has also had lots of compliments on his skin. He no longer takes any medication. He says that his headaches have gone and he has lots more energy. He can now also eat breakfast albeit it small amounts, usually fresh fruit or yoghurt, any amount before work is better than none.
He also says that he does not feel as if he is on a diet and enjoys eating more healthily. Also as a bonus he has lost a few inches and generally looks fitter.
I would recommend this new way of eating to anyone! A big thank you from us.
Shirley
August 16, 2012
Wellness