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Antioxidants For Serious Health Concerns
by Dave Foreman
Continuing with my approach for 2011,
building a strong foundation is critical for your health. Building your supplement
program shouldn’t be a headache or
confusing. One of the key areas I focused on earlier in the year covered what
antioxidants you should consider using if you had cardiovascular or blood sugar
concerns. Since antioxidants are a critical component of achieving great health,
my goal is to teach you to pick those antioxidants that not only bring great
general health, but also target any specific health issue you might have or wish to
prevent. In this issue we are covering antioxidants. Pick 4-5 antioxidants (that
target your health needs) and take
therapeutic amounts (what the science shows) as part of your supplement
foundation. For more information on the importance of antioxidants, look for
my past articles at
www.vitaminshoppe.com.
We know that free radicals cause damage both inside and outside your cells, which can lead to abnormal cell production. These abnormal cells–if not destroyed in a timely manner by your immune cells–will reproduce more abnormal cells. One of the critical ways to help reduce the risk of this type of cell damage is to consume a diet high in antioxidants (and use supplements). Using antioxidants is attacking this concern at the root of the problem. As I always say, “in order to kill the whole weed, you need to get the root too” another validating point as to why antioxidants are part of my
foundational health program.
Here are some of the better
antioxidants for immune concerns:
- Green Tea
- Turmeric
- CoQ10 (Ubiquinol)
- IP-6
- Manganese, Copper and Zinc (minerals
acting as building blocks for SOD
production)
- Selenium (helps with Glutathione)
- Grape Seed
- Pycnogenol
- Superfoods (Acai, pomegranate,
mangosteen, chia, etc.)
- Antioxidant rich herbs (other than those listed above) (Usually rich in
colors such as orange, red, purple, blue, yellow) an example is bilberry or
cherry.
Of those listed above, my personal focus would be as follows:
Instead of supplementing with green tea or Turmeric I would add these to my everyday diet. Drinking 4-8 cups of freshly brewed green tea and using a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of turmeric in your cooking daily would be a great start. I also add in chia seeds to
everything I possibly can. This morning I made Irish Steel Cut oatmeal and added 1
tablespoon of chia seeds to it after it was done cooking. Last night, we had a full
serving of chia sees on our salads. They impart zero taste to your foods so get wild and crazy and pour them on. With regards to supplements, I am a huge fan of ubiquinol (I personally use 100-400mg per day) and Pycnogenol as powerful, general antioxidants. These just like turmeric and green tea are virtually universal for health as antioxidants and possess additional
benefits outside of being an antioxidant.
We can always add more antioxidants to the mix if you are paranoid or have an
existing concern. Covering all of the bases would also include a supplement that
covers selenium, manganese, copper and zinc to help with other metabolic attacks against free radicals. In some cases your multivitamin may be enough. If you are like me though, “may be enough” isn’t good enough which means adding more of these nutrients to your supplement program.
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