We all hear about how free radicals are harmful to us, and how antioxidants are necessary but I have found many people don’t really understand why. I will attempt to explain.
Free radicals are unbalanced cells in our bodies that are extremely unstable. Free radicals occur naturally within our bodies and are also caused from things such as cigarette smoke, stress, lack of sleep, excess sun, as well as from normal processes in our bodies. The problem with free radicals is they want to make themselves balanced by stealing an electron from neighboring cells, which turn THOSE cells into free radicals. This process is repeated over and over again and this is called OXIDATION. If you don’t have enough antioxidants in your system to fight free radicals, it is called OXIDATIVE STRESS. Why is this bad?
Well, picture a piece of iron sitting out in the rain. If it is left there without protection, it will start rusting in no time. This is also known as oxidation. The piece of iron is breaking down. This is exactly what is happening inside of our bodies- we are literally “rusting” from the inside out! If left unabated, free radicals cause our bodies to be in a state of inflammation, which is a major factor in debilitating disease such as cardio vascular disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, aging, arthritis, etc according to Dr. Ralph Carson, a leading pathologist.
So what is the best way to get the antioxidants we need to prevent this from happening? One of the best ways is from fruits. The problem is most Americans don’t eat the recommended 5-10 servings of fruit a day, not even close. A fruit’s antioxidant level is generally measured by its ORAC (oxygen radical absorption capacity) level. Some fruits with the highest known ORAC scores (in order) are the Acai berry, Wild black raspberry, Wild blueberry, Elderberry and Red raspberry. There are several juices available in the market today featuring the first fruit on the list, the Acai, some better than others.
This article was written by Michael Valentine. If you are concerned about your diet and want to Learn More Please visit: [http://www.houseofacai.com]
