Antioxidants vs Free Radicals (FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!)

What the heck are an Antioxidants and Free Radicals?  And why are they fighting?

First let me introduce you to the players and what they stand for.
In society everyone knows what a radical is. You may picture someone who is free to cause damage to society in order to get their point of view across. But too many of these free radicals can do great harm to our society by appearing in large numbers causing it to no longer function in a healthy way.

Our bodies do have some free radicals that arise normally during metabolism and sometimes our body's immune system even purposefully creates them to neutralize viruses and bacteria. But the problem comes when too many of these free radicals gang up on a cell causing it to decay.

Antioxidants discourage the decay and death of our cells.
An Antioxidant is easy to understand when you think of them as a police and medical team standing by waiting to destroy those pesky damaging free radicals running around inside you that are doing damage to your cells.

Environmental factors like pollution, radiation, cigarette smoke and herbicides can spawn too many free radicals. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who hears the word "spawn" and thinks of aliens. LOL. And that's what these particular Free Radicals are like. They are like those extreme protesters who often appear to have been spawned from aliens' and they do damage to everything around them attacking and sapping the life out of everything they come in contact with.

If you are free radical with a healthy purpose, you increase the value of life around you and you're a benefit and not a liability.  Antioxidants repair damage and improve the function of your body that too many of these free radicals from our environment have caused.

Antioxidants enter your body when you eat foods that have nutrients in them like beta carotene, vitamins C, and E and selenium. (Selenium is a trace mineral that is an enzyme required only in small amounts for good health.)  This classification group is called carotenoids and can be found in: Apricots, broccoli, pumpkin, cantaloupes, spinach, sweet potatoes, and the lycopene in tomatoes. Magnesium, copper and zinc are also good antioxidants
These nutrients can prevent damage to your body's cells or can repair damage that has already occurred from those damaging free radicals.

Think of antioxidants in your body like you would an apple that you slice and want to stop it from turning brown. Once you cut the apple it starts to brown, but if you dip it in orange juice or lemon juice which contains vitamin C, it stays white.

Antioxidants work by slowing or preventing the damage from oxygen that is caused by substances called free radicals that lead to cell dysfunction and problems like heart disease and diabetes.

So if Antioxidants are like a police and medical team to improve your overall health,
What are Free Radicals like?
(REMEMBER...Free radicals are present in all living cells and are a part of natural cell processes. But excessive free radicals in our body can attack the cell membranes which is the outer coating of our cells and cause cell and tissue damage.)

So..... Think of these large numbers of Free Radicals as extreme protesters. We all know that there is usually no harm done during a peaceful protest and having a few radicals running around a controlled situation can even be beneficial to bringing balance. But, if you have ever witnessed an extreme protest out of control I'm sure you have noticed the damage they caused to everything surrounding them. Too many free radicals can cause great harm to innocent bystanders and unbalance our entire way of life. Our cells are like those innocent bystanders that are damaged by extreme numbers of free radicals and without the help of the antioxidant police and medical team we can easily become sick as our bodies become unbalanced by the extreme number of these free radicals.

Our cells are the playing field that these extreme free radicals and antioxidants are fighting over. Our cells are made up of genetic material strands called DNA and an extreme number of free radicals in our body can actually break our DNA strands and allow diseases to enter our body.  Normally, our body can handle free radicals, but if antioxidants are unavailable, or if the free-radical production becomes excessive, that's when damage can occur.

Free radical damage does accumulate with age. These free radicals can oxidize cholesterol and lead to plaques that may rupture causing heart attacks or stroke. On average every cell in your body comes under attack from a free radical once every ten seconds.

Eating foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts can supply all the antioxidants your body needs to repair or slow damages that occur in your cells.

Sorry... Gotta Run!!!  Gotta go eat some fruit and veggies and lock up some extreme radicals that are running free!

Grapefruit is Greeeeeaaatfruit!!!

Grapefruit, whose name means "fruit of paradise," is a relative of the orange. These fruits are categorized as red, pink or white by their interior color. While all colors of grapefruit carry a wealth of health benefits, red grapefruit may be the most beneficial of all.

Half a grapefruit has over 100mg of fresh Vitamin C which works out to be 78 percent of our recommended daily value!

Grapefruits also helps dissolve in-organic calcium that may have developed around your joints, so they are great if you have any joint pain or arthritis.

It aids in the digestion of your food because of its acidic properties. Eating half a grapefruit after a big meal is one of the best digestives aids available.

A half of a grapefruit contains only 36 calories!

Most of us are well aware of the weight loss benefits of grapefruit  but there are so many other positive health benefits from eating grape fruit.  Whether you eat it, drink its juice, or use a type of grapefruit seed extract will depend on what health condition you are trying to address.

Let's look at some of the other health benefits!

Vitamins and Minerals

Grapefruit is a wonderful source of vitamin A. One half of a grapefruit rings in at over half of your daily allowance at 6.4 percent. Vitamin A is necessary for healthy vision and for the maintenance of teeth, bones and soft tissue. Half of a grapefruit is 3.5 percent of your daily vitamin B5 which is needed by your body to metabolize proteins, fats and carbs. It is also a good source vitamin B9 crucial for brain function and production of genetic material such as DNA and RNA. It is full of potassium which is essential to heart function and to smooth muscle contraction.

Heart and Anti Inflammatory Benefits:
Grapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin C, a vitamin that helps to support the immune system.
Vitamin C-rich foods like grapefruit may help reduce cold symptoms or severity of cold symptoms.
Vitamin C also prevents free radical damage and it is associated with reducing the severity of inflammatory conditions like asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
 Adding grapefruit to your diet promotes heart health and helps to lower death risk from stroke and heart disease because it decreases inflammation, blood clotting, and acts as an anti-oxidant. Antioxidants discourage the decay and death of our cells.

Cancer Fighting Benefits:
Grapefruit contains limonoids, which are chemical compounds known to fight different types of cancers, and there are compounds in grapefruit pulp that can help prevent breast cancer.
Tobacco smoke contains cancer-causing agents that are activated by certain enzyme activity; this is reduced by daily consumption of grapefruit juice, which is a powerful anti-oxidant, which helps lower the risks of colon and lung cancers. The primary defense mechanism of the body against cancer is DNA repair, a process which is aided by Naringenin, a flavonoid concentrated in grapefruit. (Flavonoids healthy benefits include specifically antiviral, anti-allergic, antiplatlet, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and antioxidant activities. They add to the overall antioxidant part of our immune system.)
An antioxidant called lycopene which is found in grapefruit may have chemoprotective effects. In a clinical study published in the March 2005 issue of "International Journal of Cancer," researchers found that prostate cancer risk declined with increased consumption of lycopene.

Non-Toxic  Remedies
Grapefruit seed extract is a safe, non-toxic remedy for a variety of different pesky conditions such as dandruff, warts, and corns. It works to eliminate head lice and mites when other products fail, and can even be used on pets for skin conditions such as mange, fleas or to treat certain infections. Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) can also be used against water and food borne illnesses such as diarrhea and dysentery when traveling, and in the garden as a bug spray or to remove mold and fungus. Grapefruit benefits the skin, too, as a topical anti-acne remedy and aromatherapy agent.  (As always, consult a physician before making significant changes to your diet or treatment.)

The Secret to Radiance Skin Health
Grapefruit for skin health is in part due to the fact that it is loaded with Vitamin C which is an antioxidant that helps renew tissue. When applied topically, grapefruit promotes healing of the skin, helps to diminish lines and wrinkles and can lessen damage from the sun by boosting your skin’s natural SPF. Free radicals in your skin are also decreased due to the antioxidant properties of Vitamin C.

Citrus Limonoids
Citrus limonoids found in grapefruit have been proven to develope a detoxifying enzyme that hinders the development of tumors and it assists the liver in excreting toxic compounds more easily. Some studies have shown that limonoids also aid in the fight against a multitude of cancers, including skin cancer. Citrus limonoids aid in heart health by lowering cholesterol and improving circulation which helps carry proper nutrients to the skin and is another reason grapefruit for skin health is so effective.

Lycopene
The reddish color found in fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit varieties comes from a pigment called Lycopene. The Lycopene in grapefruit has the greatest potential power in fighting oxygen free radicals, which aids in prevention of cancer and protecting skin from UV damage.

Pectin Fiber

The soluble pectin fiber which is contained in grapefruit may slow down the development of atherosclerosis. Eating grapefruit can also lower blood levels of  bad cholesterol called LDL as well as your levels of triglycerides which a form of fat that is linked to heart disease. In a clinical study published in the 2006 issue of "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry," researchers found that, although red grapefruit had higher antioxidant potential than white, both white and red grapefruit decreased serum lipid levels in coronary atherosclerosis patients.

Grapefruit for Weight Loss Boost

The important thing to remember when adding grapefruit to your daily diet is exactly how the grapefruit calories and other chemical properties work to aid weight loss. Do not use grapefruit consumption as a “crash diet” method; instead, incorporate this healthy, low-calorie fruit into your regular diet. Grapefruit are very healthy and should be a part of anyone’s diet, especially if they want to lose weight.

Grapefruit is known to be high in fat burning enzymes and low in sodium. Adding grapefruit or grapefruit juice to your diet is proven to not only help you lose weight, but will also help your body expell excess water that can buildup as a result of a diet high in sodium. Experts recommend that you drink freshly squeezed grapefruit juice or consume half a grapefruit within thirty minutes of your meal for the best effects.
Grapefruit puts your Metabolism into overdrive! It’s important to increase the speed at which your body metabolizes food in order to lose weight. Grapefruit has a high water and fiber content, and when combined with specific acids and enzymes serves as a catalyst to get your internal organs working. Eating grapefruit   jumpstarts your digestive system and also stops your body from dropping into starvation mode.

Insulin Reduction
Researchers agree that eating grapefruits for weight loss is effective. Many now believe that eating grapefruit lowers insulin levels in the blood and enables the body to use food for energy more efficiently. Type 2 diabetes patients are often givenlipid-lowering drugs designed to lessen the amount of insulin entering the bloodstream after meals. Naringenin which is contained in grapefruit is an antioxidant that seems to mimic these lipid lowering drugs by reducing the insulin in the bloodstream.

WOW!  I'm soooo thirsty for some ice cold grapefruit juice!

Aaaaaaaa...loe vera

Yesssss...we all know that the ALOE VERA plant is useful to heal skin burns BUT...It is so much more than that.

(Talk to your doctor before drinking aloe vera juice to treat a medical conditions)

You can enjoy Aloe Vera in PURE PLANT form, GEL, JUICE or WATER.

Aloe Vera JUICE is one of the most efficient ways to introduce the plant’s healing properties into your system. The juice helps fight inflamation, lowers blood pressure and promotes digestive health. It can do wonders for your digestive tract because it encourages the bowels to move and helps with elimination if a person is constipated.

It is known to reduce pain, assist your immune system & reduce anemia. Aloe Juice can help reduce the fatigue and headaches associated with anemia.

Try drinking aloe vera JUICE before a meal to stimulate your bone marrow, which creates red and white blood cells. Aloe vera juice boost your immune system. It can work wonders for people who have chronic immune disorders or people with painful disorders such as fibromyalgia. The Aloe vera plant has something in it called polysaccharides and it stimulates your white blood cells and they are responsible for fighting viruses.

It can help relieve Osteoarthritis,

Symptoms of osteoarthritis may be relieved with the topical application of pure aloe vera GEL, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis that typically strikes the hands, knees, hips, lower back and neck. Aloe vera gel act as an anti-inflammatory and may also encourage speedy healing of the affected joint. (info taken from http://www.livestrong.com/article/103324-pure-aloe-vera-gel-uses/)

Psoriasis relief,
Pure aloe GEL can be applied to your skin to treat minor irritations and conditions such as psoriasis. Psoriasis is a disease that causes a rapid buildup of cells on the skins surface, resulting in thick, silver-colored scales and dry, itchy red patches. Although aloe vera gel is regarded as safe as a topical application. The Mayo Clinic says the use of aloe on surgical wounds may actually delay healing and should not be used on deep wounds or open sores.

Anti Wrinkle Skin Rejuvination,
Keep this wonderful plant in your house as a pure source of this skin-softening, antiwrinkle remedy on hand.
This plant is packed with active compounds that benefit the skin, such as mucopolysaccharides, which fight bacteria and help to rebuild new tissue, and flavonoid antioxidants to protect skin cells from damage. I personally have been cutting a slice off fresh every morning and evening and rubbing it on my clean dry face. It feels tight and clean. After it dries I add a little face cream to keep my face fresh and moist.

Acne Treatment,

It has been proven that aloe vera can be used to treat acne, with improvements seen in as little as one week. Acne sufferers can see a remarkable improvement by simply breaking an aloe vera leaf and applying the watery gel to the acne lesions. It should be noted that aloe vera does not "cure" acne, but it greatly reduces the swelling, inflammation and redness associated with acne. Further, if you use the aloe vera every day, it will help prevent acne outbreaks. In addition to treating acne

As an added BONUS,
Aloe Vera JUICE encourages WEIGHT LOSS.
Aloe vera juice can be used to encourage gentle weight loss, according to the American Chronicle website drinking aloe juice stimulates your metabolism, which helps your body burn calories more quickly. It can reduce the amount of time food stays in your systen because it moves food through your digestive tract, (according to the site) giving your body less time to absorb calories from the foods you eat.
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Thirsty for a Aloe Fruit drink? I'am !!      Aloe Grape Juice

1-2 inch of  fresh cut Aloe Vera

2 cups of water

1 cup of lemon juice

A big bunch of grapes with seeds (that’s about 30 grapes)

1TBLSP  honey (optional)

Blend all ingredients together and enjoy!

This makes about three cups of juice.

*Because the aloe is very slippery it is hard to peel, but it’s important that you scrape only the transparent gel to eat because the fiberous green peel is tough and bitter.

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Light and Lemony

1 Cucumber
1 Apple
1 Lemon
2 tbsp Aloe vera pulp

Method:
1. Blend the apple and the cucumber
2. Add the lemon juice
3. Cut open an aloe vera leaf...only as much as you want to cut for this drink so that the rest of the leaf stays fresh. (cut down one side and slice down the middle and open like a butterfly) than scoop out 2 tbsp of the pulp and add it to the mixture. Remember not to get any of the green leafy part.  ;)

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