The Power of Superfoods

The Power of Super Foods

Almost every day we see articles in the popular press about Super Foods: fruits and vegetables with seemingly miraculous benefits for the people who eat them. Is there any truth to these stories? How can you take advantage of the Super Foods discoveries and glean some of the health benefits for yourself?

To answer these questions we need to understand a few things, such as: the battle between free radicals and antioxidants. What the term ORAC means. And the benefits we get from eating fresh fruits and vegetables every day.

Antioxidants vs. free radicals

Free radicals form as pollution inside your body; these damaging molecules are by-products of metabolism. Metabolism is the way your body converts the three food groups – carbohydrates, protein and fats – into energy. The more energy you produce from food, the more free radical pollution you generate. Free radicals have been linked to a wide array of health problems, ranging from heart disease and cancer to arthritis and inflammation.

Luckily, foods also contain antioxidants. Antioxidants donate molecules to balance, neutralize and quench free radicals. They are very generous that way! They will keep donating until they are completely spent.

The efficiency built into Super Foods is amazing: the carbohydrates, protein and fats create energy and the antioxidants in the same foods neutralize the waste. A healthy food will quench as many free radicals as it makes. A really good food will quench more free radicals than you make metabolizing the food. For this reason, these nutrient sources are called Super Foods. You will feel better today and healthier tomorrow if you eat these foods.

We measure the antioxidant capacity in foods on a scale called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). The higher the number, the more free radicals the foods will quench.

Whole foods – the good stuff!
All foods contain antioxidants, even “junk” foods. But the problem is that junk foods don’t contain enough antioxidants to neutralize all the free radical waste they create from the metabolism process. In other words, junk foods contain more pollution than their built-in ORAC capacity can neutralize. So, your body is left imbalanced and at greater risk for health problems.

In contrast to junk foods, whole foods usually contain enough antioxidants to support waste cleanup from metabolism. And certain whole foods go even further – they are filled with antioxidant concentrations that are associated with longevity and vitality. For instance, blueberries have been associated with a sharp mind and clear vision for thousands of years. The berry has numerous concentrated antioxidants that have an affinity for your eyes, brain and heart. You can benefit from these antioxidants by eating fresh blueberries as well as whole food concentrates containing blueberries.

Other berries also contain dense antioxidant concentrations. That’s why eating a variety of berries is a superb way of getting the high ORAC antioxidants you need. Whole berry concentrates, such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries provide both the nutrients and antioxidants needed for healthy metabolism. Rare fruits, such as wolfberry (goji), acai drupes, and mangosteen also provide strong boosts of antioxidant power – so much so, that many have labeled them as Super Fruits.

What we need
We were designed to eat whole, ripe foods at their peak of freshness to help our bodies have sufficient antioxidants. So, approximately how many ORAC units do we need each day?

* Children – 3,000 ORAC units daily (about 5 servings of fruit and vegetables)
* Women – 4,200 ORAC units daily (about 7 servings of fruit and vegetables)
* Men – 5,400 ORAC units daily (about 9 servings of fruit and vegetables)

Considering our polluted environment, deficient diet and relentless stress I would suggest we consume even larger amounts of ORAC units every day.

More suggestions: Eat whole foods and make sure you include every color in the rainbow in your diet because different antioxidants come with different colors. Also, look for whole food supplements to augment your diet such as NutraFruits or Adaptogen 10 Plus. Whole foods and whole food supplements will help improve your metabolism, reduce toxicity, increase vitality and improve your health!


Take Control of Your Health

* Eat whole foods of every color:
o Green: avocado, bell peppers, spinach, collard greens
o Orange/yellow: bananas, oranges, carrots, acorn squash, sweet potatoes
o Purple/blue: blueberries, blackberries, grapes, beets, eggplant
o Red: strawberries, raspberries, apples, tomatoes, cranberries
* Include legumes daily:
o Beans: red beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, etc.
o Peas
o Lentils
* Use Super Foods supplements to increase your daily ORAC. Just one scoop of NutraFruits has a 4,954 ORAC value.


Antioxidant-Rich Foods May Reduce the Risk of Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible blindness in developed countries. Age is the most significant risk factor. The cause of AMD is not well understood, but some researchers believe that a diet rich in antioxidants may help reduce the risk of AMD.

A new study in the December 28, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association studied a large group of older adults, and found that those who consumed above-average intakes of beta-carotene, Vitamin C, Vtamin E, and zinc were less likely to develop AMD.

About the Study
Researchers in the Netherlands followed 4,170 people age 55 years or older for an average of eight years. The participants did not have AMD when the study began. At the start of the study, the participants completed a food frequency questionnaire to determine intake of the following antioxidants/antioxidant cofactors: alpha and beta carotene; beta cryptoxanthin; lutein; lycopene; vitamins A, C, and E; iron; and zinc. During the study, the participants underwent 1-2 eye examinations designed to diagnose AMD. The researchers adjusted their analyses for age, sex, body mass index (a measure of weight in relation to height), smoking status, blood pressure, cholesterol level, atherosclerosis score (a measure of fatty buildup in the arteries), and alcohol intake.

During the study, 560 (13.4%) of the participants were diagnosed with AMD. Higher Vitamin E and zinc intakes were associated with a reduced risk of AMD. Having an above-average intake of the combination of Vitamins C and E, beta carotene, and zinc was associated with a 35% reduced risk of AMD.

These findings are limited because nutrient intake was based on a food frequency questionnaire, which is subject to error.

How Does This Affect You?
This study suggests that diet affects vision, at least in the long-term. Increasing your intake of beta carotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and zinc while your vision is good may help prevent AMD later. Beta carotene is found in carrots, kale, and spinach; vitamin C-rich foods include citrus fruits and juices, green peppers, broccoli, and potatoes; Vitamin E can be obtained from whole grains, vegetable oil, eggs, and nuts; and high concentrations of zinc are found in meat, poultry, fish, whole grains, and dairy products.

Symptoms of AMD include seeing blurred words on a page, a dark or empty area in the center of vision and distorted straight lines. If you have any of these symptoms, you should consult with an ophthalmologist, who can diagnose and treat AMD if necessary.

RESOURCES:

American Academy of Ophthalmology
http://www.aao.org/

Macular Degeneration Partnership
http://www.amd.org/

REFERENCES:

Macular degeneration. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Available at: http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZJ4YZNH4C&sub_cat=2013.
Accessed December 28, 2005.

van Leeuwen R, Boekhoorn S, Vingerling JR, et al. Dietary intake of antioxidants and risk of age-related macular degeneration. JAMA . 2005;294(24):3101-3107.

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.