Nutrition Information

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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:

Department of Defense

First Lady Lauds DOD's New Nutrition Campaign
Department of Defense
10, 2012 – The Defense Department's new obesity and nutrition awareness campaign sets a powerful example for the rest of the nation, First Lady Michelle Obama said yesterday. First Lady Michelle Obama speaks to airmen in a dining facility on Little ...
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Nutritional Medicine for Adults Workshop Series at Rush University Medical Center
Newswise (press release)
Newswise — CHICAGO — Rush University Medical Center is sponsoring a Nutritional Medicine workshop March 15 to 16, 2012, that features internationally-renowned faculty who are leaders in research in nutritional medicine. The workshop is part of a ...

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US Vitamin Manufacturer Matsun Nutrition Makes Liquid Vitamins for Taiwan and ...
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Matsun Nutrition, a liquid vitamin contract manufacturer has been innundated with requests for liquid glucosamine products to be produced in their cGMP certified facility. Matsun Nutrition, a liquid vitamin contract manufacturer has been inundated with ...

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Should nutrition groups take corporate money?
Chicago Tribune (blog)
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) has long and controversial ties with large food and beverage corporations, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Hershey, Kraft and Unilever. As partners, the companies have a national platform at nutrition ...



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Sacramento Bee
And now that I'm pregnant, I have your nutrition advice on speed dial." (Whatever that means.) Poor thing. Her first 3 months of pregnancy were rough. Nothing stayed down and it wasn't so pleasant when it came back up. Lots of friends offered their ...

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NorthJersey.com

Coming soon: Nutrition labels for health insurance
Washington Post (blog)
Think of them as nutrition facts for a health insurance plan that outline a health plan's deductible, out-of-pocket limits and costs for visits to the emergency room or primary care doctor. What you see above is one part of a four-page document that ...
Obama: Health plan briefs must be consumer-friendlyUSA TODAY
Summaries to spell out health insurance coverage, copaysChicago Tribune
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Nutrition Freedom - New Health, Fitness & Well-Being Site Now Open
PR Web (press release)
NutritionFreedom.com launched January 15 offering thousands of nutritional aids, health products and supplements at discount prices with fast shipping to all 50 states, including all military addresses. Interactive forums allow users to interact with ...



Nutrition in a Second-Rate Hen House
Huffington Post (blog)
It is also superior to "Facts up Front," another food industry initiative which simply takes some nutrition facts from the back of pack and puts them on the front. This would be a terrific idea if the rate-limiting problem in the average shopper's ...



TIME

Walmart to Label Healthy Foods
New York Times
As part of its promise last year to improve the nutritional quality of the food it sells, Walmart said on Tuesday that it had devised standards to determine what is healthy and would label the foods that meet those standards.
How Good Is Walmart's 'Great For You' Nutrition Labeling?TIME
'Great For You' Icon Launched By WalmartMedical News Today
Walmart Unveils "Great For You" IconPR Newswire (press release)
NPR (blog) -FoodNavigator-USA.com -The White House (blog)
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Nutrition before surgery
The Swazi Observer
Knowing your blood type is important before you go for surgery because you may need blood transfusion, however, in this case we are discussing about nutrition, it is important to note that reference to the food for blood type list is critical during ...


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