What is fighting what you ask? Antioxidants are trying to rid your body of excessive amounts of free radicals before they start a chain reaction. This chain reaction, if unchecked, could cause a buildup of free radicals, leaving your healthy cells and tissue at the risk of being prematurely oxidized.

Oxidation is cell death or in a worst case scenario a mutation. It occurs when a molecule in our body splits, leaving an atom with an unpaired electron. Bah I hate chemistry you say, well this is easy stuff to understand, and the effect is what we are seeking to understand. So now we have this rogue molecule wanting to steal electrons from other compounds… and well, it does. This electron stealing mayhem is oxidation, and the compound that was robbed then itself becomes a free radical. Now we see how this may be a problem so how do we stop it?

Well you will never and do not want to eliminate all free radicals from your body, actually your body makes its own to help it break down complex bonds within certain nutrients. These are ok, it is the unchecked radicals we seek to destroy and for this we need Antioxidants. Among the most prolific are:

• Vitamin A (sweet potato, carrot, kal, mango, spinach, papaya, milk)
• Carotenes (broccoli, carrots, spinach, squash, apricots)
• Vitamin C (red and green peppers, broccoli, strawberries, tomato, cabbage)
• Vitamin E (wheat germ, almonds, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, broccoli)
• Glutathione aka GSH
• Alpha-Lipoic-Acid
• Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 (oily fish like mackare, chicken, whole grains)

Glutathione does not have any sources listed as it rapidly synthesized in the liver and kidneys and oral supplementation has been shown to have no increase on blood glutathione levels. What we can do though is help our bodies to produce GSH by providing nutritional compounds required for its synthesis. Vitamin C supplementation has been shown to increase blood GSH levels by nearly 50% and R-Alpha Lipoic Acid has also been shown as a powerful precursor to GSH synthesis. What is so special about Glutathione? It detoxifies poisons in the body that can destroy white blood cells and in turn damage our liver. Research has shown that when people get sick, and their GSH levels drop, they get sicker, so we want to do what we can to keep Glutatione levels at their peak.

Alpha Lipoic Acid is one of the most powerful antioxidants we know of. It increases the rate of almost all nutrient absorbtion in our bodies and destroys free radicals like nobody’s business. The R isomer version is the one that is biologically available and found in our bodies. Research at the University of Wyoming shows that R-ALA supplementation has a very positive effect on weight loss by modulating the bodies fat deposition processes. It also strongly mimics insulin, making our bodies much more effective at dealing with fluctuating blood glucose levels. Simply, its bad ass. 100 to 300 mg a day is great as a supplement. It does nothing but keep you healthy and has no known side effects or toxic levels. But like anything else, over supplementing will not do you any good so stay in the range specified above. Before starting to take anything, consult with your physician just to be sure you will not have any specific interactions.

So we have learned that antioxidants eat free radicals for lunch, and work to keep us as healthy as can be. Optimizing our bodies function and efficiency as well, so until next time, stack the fruits and veggies and stay healthy. Avoid overpriced antioxidant drinks like xangosteen (they do not have any secret antioxidants)… Just eat dark fruits and veggies.

What makes breakfast important is that it provides our bodies with fuel for the rest of the day, if the meal is balanced in protein, carbs and fat, curbs our appetite reducing the risk of overeating later and improves our concentration and focus. Some people tend to think that they do not have the time to eat breakfast. Just like those that believe that they cannot workout without a gym membership, this is nonsense.

You can make a quick breakfast in under five minutes with the most basic of food items. For example, you can buy a bottle of egg whites, some bell peppers, pre-sliced mushrooms and turkey or chicken slices all for under 10 dollars and it should last about a week for making egg white omelets every day. All you have to do is heat a skillet add  the egg whites and throw in the ingredients. Finish it off with Soy Milk, grapefruit juice (not from concentrate), orange juice, or good ole milk. That would make for an excellent breakfast in under 8 minutes.

Avoid the pop tarts, frozen meals with obscene amounts of sodium and ultra sugary cereals (cereals like Special K, Wheaties, Cheerios, Fiber One etc) are all fine when paired with something like a banana and juice. And again, avoid at all costs, not eating breakfast at all!

If you skip on breakfast, there is a very likely chance that later in the day you are going to be starved and thus binge eat. This might satisfy your hunger but it will likely involve eating a more unhealthy array of foods unless you had prepared before hand and brought something from home or selected a healthy food alternative. Also you will likely feel tired and run down throughout the day, having to resort to energy supplements such as caffeinated products or energy drinks like Red Bull to keep you going.

Future posts will include links to recipes but for now fitbuff has 7 simple selections to try tomorrow! The video below is my latest find, and let me say it is absolutely delicious, simple and fast.

Breakfast: It Gives You Wings