What are antioxidants?

An antioxidant is: 1) a chemical compound or a substance that inhibits oxidation. Or 2) a (natural) substance, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, or beta-carotene, that is believed to protect the body’s cells from the damaging effects of oxidation.

Antioxidants can be found naturally in whole foods where they are generally grouped together; or they are manufactured synthetically and sold as supplements, usually with a single antioxidant rather than several.

What are the free radicals? Do we need antioxidants?

Oxidation occurs when free radicals (highly reactive, high-energy particles) violently bounce around the body and damage cells. Free radicals can be produced within the body through natural biological processes or can be introduced from the outside through tobacco smoke, toxins, pollutants, and suboptimal eating habits. Free radicals are believed to accelerate the progression of cancer, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue, and age-related diseases. The antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables help neutralize free radicals in the body.

In general, it is recommended that people consume 7 servings of fruits and vegetables a day: 2 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables. Most people do not eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables every day. Additionally, most industrially grown fruits and vegetables do not contain the same nutritional benefits that are available in organically grown whole foods and they also contain more toxins (sources of free radicals) for the body to fight off.

Why are antioxidants found in plants?

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert light energy from the sun into stored physical energy (nutrition). Photosynthesis exposes plants to a large number of free radicals. Plants produce antioxidants to protect themselves from the damage of these free radicals. Antioxidant plant pigments, mainly carotenoids and polyphenols that are responsible for shine.

the orange, red, blue, and purple colors of many fruits, berries, and algae provide most of this protection. Research has shown that human ingestion of these plant-based antioxidants results in similar protection for humans. Research also shows that antioxidants work synergistically (where the combined effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects) and are much more effective when a spectrum of antioxidants is ingested, rather than individual isolated compounds. For example, the herb, thyme, contains more than 20 antioxidants separated alone.

Also, when food is grown organically, without the use of synthetic pesticides and herbicides, the plant must become stronger (through fighting), thus imparting more nutrition, in order to survive. While industrially grown foods with liberal use of synthetic herbicides and pesticides rely on chemicals to protect them and therefore do not contain the same available nutrition as organically grown foods by up to 60% less.

What are ORAC units? How many do we need?

ORAC, short for Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity, is a standardized measure of a substance’s total antioxidant power, which is its ability to neutralize oxygen free radicals. The more free radicals a substance can absorb, the higher its ORAC score. Nutritionists recommend that we consume around 5,000 ORAC units per day to significantly impact antioxidant activity in the body and reduce free radical damage. To give you perspective, a half-cup serving of fruits or vegetables provides approximately 500 ORAC units. If you are not eating at least 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day (preferably organically grown), you are not getting the recommended amount of ORAC units to neutralize free radical damage in your body every day. Considering the amounts and exposures to the many and varied sources of toxins in the world today, a better estimate of the required ORAC units would be 7000 ORACs per day.

Whole foods vs supplements

If you supplement with antioxidants in a single dose, or a combination of some isolated antioxidant nutrients, you are probably not getting the benefits you need. Weather isolated nutrients may have powerful antioxidant benefits in vitro (test tube), they have significantly less benefits in vivo (body). While food Rich in antioxidants have proven benefits both in humans and in vitro, it is known that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help prevent cancers, coronary heart disease and stroke. Synthetic Antioxidants May Increase Cancer Risk. In fact, every large clinical trial that you have used isolated Antioxidant nutrients have not shown benefits for cancer and cardiovascular disease. Most isolated antioxidant nutrients are chemically and structurally different from those found in real foods; and they do not have the desired effect on the human body. Research has found that whole tomato powder, but not lycopene, a carotenoid found in tomatoes, inhibits prostate carcinogenesis in rats, demonstrating the superior functionality and efficacy of whole food nutrition compared to high dose isolated nutrient supplementation.

What is a superfood?

A superfood is a type of food that is believed to have more important health benefits than any other type of food due to its specific phytonutrient content. For example, blueberries are considered a superfood because they contain significant amounts of antioxidants, phytoflavinoids, vitamin C, and potassium, which are believed to provide significant health benefits.

How to get your daily requirement of 5000-7000 ORAC units

You can eat the recommended 2-3 servings of fruits and 5-7 servings of vegetables a day, choosing high-quality, organically grown fruits and vegetables.

You can choose a blend of certified organic whole superfoods, providing a broad spectrum of nutritional and antioxidant benefits and preferably in powder form. For example, a blend such as: Certified Organic Raw Raw Cocoa Powder, Dried Coffee Fruit Extract, Certified Organic Freeze Dried Pomegranate Powder; Certified Organic Freeze Dried Goji Berry Powder, Certified Organic Freeze Dried Acai Berry Powder, Certified Organic Whole Dried Dunaliella Marine Microalgae Saline, Certified Organic Freeze Dried Cranberry Powder, Certified Organic Freeze Dried Raspberry Powder, Certified Organic Freeze Dried Strawberry Powder Extract Certified Organic Freeze Dried Olive Juice. A blend like this provides all of the nutritional and antioxidant benefits of each whole food along with the benefits of all of the whole foods together. A serving of such a mix would provide the recommended daily ORAC requirements.

What form of mixed superfood should I consume?

Without a doubt, you should be looking for a powdered form where the superfoods in it have been freeze-dried, thus putting the nutrition and antioxidants in suspended animation, without damage. Adding the powder to your own liquid (water, juice, soy milk, etc.) makes for a quick and easy fortifying drink.

You should pay attention to how the superfood was processed (freeze-dried) and the quality of the superfoods contained in the powder (organic).

A useful feature would be the individual service packs instead of the large jar for easy portability.