One of the things I try to do every day is to eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible.
This may take the form of juicing, which is one of the fastest ways to consume large quantities of fruits and vegetables. I may juice up to two pounds of fruits and vegetables a day, which is more than I would consume at any one sitting.
When I go grocery shopping, I am always piling my cart high with things most people wouldn’t consider like beets, artichoke hearts, pomegranate seeds, sundried tomatoes, kale and spinach. And I load up on berries, usually purchasing at least three kinds of berries every week.
Consuming lots of fruits and vegetables allows you to consume tons of antioxidants, which help to reverse or delay the process of aging.
Antioxidants are measured in ORACs, or oxygen radical absorption capacity. The average person should get 3,000 to 5,000 ORACs per day from eating 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables. But the average person in our society is said to get only about 2,000 ORACs per day.
If you visit wikipedia, you will find that one of the highest sources of ORACs is raw, unprocessed cocoa beans, which is very good news for all those of us who like chocolate. I also eat a little bit of chocolate virtually every day, which I feel is not only good for my body but also my soul.
Beans like kidney beans, pinto beans and black beans are very high in ORACs, as are berries of all kinds, including blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries.
The theory goes that the more antioxidants you consume in your diet, the slower your body will actually age.
I notice that the more ORACs I consume, the greater my energy level, the better my skin looks and the more robust my immune system is.
Although I do take nutritional supplements, I try to get most of my antioxidants from actual foods, because I believe that the actual foods contain all sorts of nutrients that would be difficult if not impossible to get solely from pills.
This information comes from http://www.accuracyingenesis.com/antiage.html and is supposed to be based on U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics and a similar sample size for each food.
Top ORAC foods:
Prunes 5,770
Raisins 2,830
Blueberries 2,400
Blackberries, 2036
Kale 1,770
Strawberries 1,540
Spinach 1,260
Raspberries 1,220
Brussels sprouts 980
Plums 949
Alfalfa sprouts 930
Broccoli flourets 890
Beets 840
Oranges 750
Red Bell Peppers 710
Red Grapes 739
Cherries 670
Antioxidants neutralize harmful molecules in the body called free radicals. They block the process of oxidation. Free radicals contain unpaired electrons, which is slightly unusual because electrons usually travel in pairs.
There are many ways we are exposed to free radicals. Air pollution, exposure to UV light or radiation, smoking, alcohol, foods high in fats and sugar cause free radicals. And so does even healthy activities like strenuous exercise.
Some of the problems linked to excess free radicals include:
- Aging
- Cancer
- Arthritis
- Stroke
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Parkinsons Disease
- Cataracts
- And many other illnesses associated with the aging process.
Eating lots of antioxidants is both healing and preventive.
