Oxidative Stress And Why We Need Antioxidants

How we get oxidative stress in our bodies

For long-lasting health, antioxidants should be a staple in everyone's diets. Antioxidants are molecules that reverse the damage of oxidative stress. Which is caused by free radicals, when they damage cellular structures within the body. 

There are many causes to why we get free radicals. Some are naturally created as byproducts from natural reactions that occur in the body, for example respiration and phagocytosis (when immune cells destroy microbes by engulfing them). 

But we start to get a dangerous excess of them when we go out of our way to increase their production through either our lifestyle or diet. Excess free radicals arise when we eat processed foods, induce toxins in our body through smoking, consuming alcohol, and from having exposure to industrial waste along with pesticides.

The Problems of Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress

If you don't take action, then free radicals will take their toll on the body and cause life threatening issues. A couple of problems of oxidative stress to put this into perspective are:

• Fastens Ageing - Your cells become more damaged so you get looser-greasier skin, hair loss, grey hairs and even wrinkles. 
• Can lead to Chronic Diseases - Such as arthritis, diabetes and inflammatory joint disease.
• Cause your Eye Health to Suffer - If you don't consume enough beta carotene.
• Create Cancer - Because of damage to cell DNA and mutations in the structures of proteins and fats.
• Lead to Neurological Disorders - Such as Parkingsons and Alzheimers disorder.

Now you're aware of all the damage that oxidative stress can cause. It doesn't have to be all that gloomy. You see, as oxidative stress is a big-big-big problem, but it's one that can be fixed very easily.

All you need to do is adopt a healthy lifestyle by eating the right food, avoiding red meats and removing processed food from your diet. Sure they taste great, but what good are they going to do for you?

If they will end up downgrading your looks and your happiness, as you don't feel as good compared to when you eat clean foods. Plus more importantly, these foods will harm your life if you don't cut down on them.

Stress and various antioxidants that are essential for reducing oxidative stress

Another factor that should be dealt with when it comes to limiting free radicals is reducing stress. We're always practically stressed in our day-to-day jobs and there's nothing we can do in our control to stop it. But instead of letting this stress accumulate we can choose to do something about it, and ease it at the end of the day. Whether it's by exercising regularly, meditating or even doing yoga to rest the mind.

It is well known that stress is the biggest killer of health. As it produces a lot of free radicals that weaken your immune system, mental stability and gut health. The free radicals from stress will even cause you to age quicker. So its important to become physically active and look after your health now. Since difficulties only arise when the ratio of free radicals to antioxidants is high.

Seeing as how important antioxidants are for normal body function. Some of the main antioxidants that your body needs for long-lasting health and how we attain them are:

• Glutathione - Produced naturally in the liver.
• Melatonin - Produced in the brain.
• Uric Acid - Contained in blood plasma.
• Vitamin A (beta carotene) - Can't be produced in the body, so has to be absorbed from foods
• Vitamin C - Can't be produced in the body, so has to be absorbed from foods
• Vitamin E - Can't be produced in the body, so has to be absorbed from foods

Here we can see that the body can produce it's own antioxidants to fight free radicals, but that they aren't enough alone. If you'd like to improve your eye health, have glowing skin, produce more collagen and reduce ageing altogether. Then you'll need to update your diet to eat foods rich in these three vital vitamins, otherwise your quality of life will suffer.

Many foods are rich in these antioxidants, the best ones being:

• Turmeric - A very mighty superfood often used in medicine, as the main antioxidant in Turmeric, Cucurmin has strong anti-inflammatory effects. It's great for improving brain function as it boosts the production of the growth hormone BDNF, and contributes to liver health. Turmeric also contains Vitamins A, C and E in abundance.
• Acai Berry - Rich in Anthocyanins, an antioxidant shown to enhance memory. Acai Berries are high in both Vitamin A and C.
• Spinach  - Gives the antioxidant lutein which is good for eye health, and is an excellent source of Vitamin K for bone strength and joints. You also get the vital antioxidants: Vitamin A, C and E from spinach to lower the chances of getting diseases.
• Kale - Very high in Vitamin C, Vitamin A and other strong antioxidants like Querecetin, as well as being full of other beneficial minerals.
• Cacao - Used to create cocoa, but isn't processed in it's raw form to lose all it's powerful nutritional value. Contains the antioxidant resveratrol which protects the body from damage, that causes long-term medical conditions like cancer or heart disease. It also has lots of Vitamin E.
• Green tea - Has the antioxidant EGCG which prevents cell damage and regulates stress. Green tea is also a source of Vitamin A, C and E, but it's essential for enhancing other processes in the body like clearing brain fog, increasing focus and creating healthy skin.

This is just a small sample of superfoods that will provide your body with enough antioxidants to nullify free radical damage. And you may be thinking wow, that's a very diverse list of ingredients, but won't it take me a while to shop for all of these ingredients? And how can I possibly manage to prepare my meals to include all these ingredients everyday?

Well it doesn't have to be that tough. Our Organic Super Greens Powder contains all of these 6 superfoods plus 10 additional health heavyweights.

Our Green Powder, a very efficient way of increasing your antioxidant intake

That not only are full of antioxidants, but regulate other things in your body such as suppressing hunger to help you lose weight (Wheat grass), and improving your mood for the day (Maca Root).

So if you want to try a very efficient and optimal way of getting 16 superfoods that are full of goodness into your diet. You can try either the 400g tub or 150g pouch of our Organic Super Greens powder.

As it only takes 30 seconds to mix it into any drink or food and then consume. Making it ideal for a busy day, a day of travelling or sometimes when you just want to put your feet up on the sofa and relax.