Antioxidants 101

Here’s some great info on antioxidants.

What are Antioxidants? Benefits of Antioxidants

Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body cells use oxygen, they naturally produce free radicals (by-products) which can cause damage. Antioxidants act as "free radical scavengers" and hence prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals.  Health problems such as heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, cancer etc are all contributed by oxidative damage. Indeed, a recent study conducted by researchers from London found that 5 servings of fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of stroke by 25 percent. Antioxidants may also enhance immune defense and therefore lower the risk of cancer and infection.

Most Commonly Known Antioxidants

 

Vitamin A and Carotenoids

Carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, collards, cantaloupe, peaches and apricots (bright-colored fruits and vegetables!)

 

Vitamin C

Citrus fruits like oranges and lime etc, green peppers, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, strawberries and tomatoes

 

Vitamin E

Nuts & seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, vegetable oil and liver oil

 

Selenium

Fish & shellfish, red meat, grains, eggs, chicken and garlic

Other Common Antioxidants

Some common phytochemicals

• Flavonoids / polyphenols

• soy

• red wine

• purple grapes or Concord grapes

• pomegranate

• cranberries

• tea

• Lycopene

• Tomato and tomato products

• pink grapefruit

• watermelon

• Lutein

• dark green vegetables such as kale, broccoli, kiwi, brussels sprout and spinach

• Lignan

• flax seed

• oatmeal

• barley

• rye

Vitamin-like Antioxidants:

• Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)

• Glutathione

Antioxidant enzymes made by the body:

• superoxide dismutase (SOD)

• catalase

• glutathione peroxidase

Message: Antioxidants are found abundant in beans, grain products, fruits and vegetables. Look for fruits with bright color - lutein in some of the yellow pigments found in corn; orange in cantaloupe, butternut squash and mango; red from lycopene in tomatoes and watermelon, and purple and blue in berries. So enjoy eating a variety of these products. It is best to obtain these antioxidants from foods instead of supplements. In addition, minimize the exposure of oxidative stress such as smoking and sunburn.

World’s Best Antioxidant Berry Radical

Weaning From Your Cleaning

Here’s a great article on the dangers of household cleaning products we use everyday. It’s easier, cheaper, and healthier to mix your own or purchase organic cleaners that work better anyway. There is an organic cleaner with vanilla extract and sea salt as the main ingredients. It’s loaded with living probiotic bacteria that keeps things amazingly cleaner, longer. You could even drink this stuff because it’s 100% non-toxic. Try that with amonia or chlorine bleach.

This is interesting.

Most consumers don't realize what potentially dangerous chemical compounds everyday cleaning products can contain, said Lisa Arkin, Oregon Toxics Alliance executive director. Basic household cleaning chemicals can become dangerous if not handled properly.

"Even simple things like toilet bowl cleaners contain chemicals that caused cancer in lab animals," she said. "Also, the use of bleach is not a great thing - it's chlorine and that's poison. People end up mixing it with ammonia and then they're dead from the fumes."

Environmental Studies graduate student Jason Schreiner said even if chemicals don't pose an immediate threat, they often cause bodily damage over time, something consumers rarely consider when they use a product.

"It affects their body. It goes into the air and they inhale it, or it goes onto their skin and they absorb it, and their liver has to work hard to process that," he said. "In the long term (chemicals) can get lodged in fat cells and slowly leech into the body, compromising the immune system."

Environmental Protection Agency studies indicate human exposure to indoor air pollutants and volatile organic gasses, often produced by cleaning supplies, can be two to five times higher than outdoor levels. Although not much is known about the effects of organic gasses usually found in homes, according to the EPA's Web site, many organic compounds are known to potentially cause cancer in both humans and animals among other lesser problems.

As a substitute, Oregon Toxics Alliance suggests both time-tested natural cleaners and modern, environmentally safe and nontoxic cleaners. One mineral compound with low toxicity, borax, can be used as an all-purpose cleaner, Arkin said.

"Borax is so great - so is lemon juice and baking soda," she said. "Fred Meyer now has an entire aisle for alternative cleaners that are safer."

Schreiner said consumers should check commercially available cleaning products for labels specifying they are both nontoxic and biodegradable.

For homemade solutions, Arkin suggested using a paste of borax and lemon juice or vinegar to clean toilet bowls, bathtubs and counters. For dirty windows, a quarter cup of vinegar diluted with a quart of water will leave a streak-free shine, she said.

The organization's Web site, www.oregontoxics.org, also recommended using oxygen bleaches instead of traditional chlorine bleach and provides alternatives to most type of cleaning products.

Essential oils, such as lavender or tea tree oil, can also be added to homemade cleaning solutions to provide naturally anti-bacterial and antiseptic properties and pleasant scents, Schreiner said, and when chemical cleansers are the only available choice he advises consumers to take necessary precautions.

"Wear gloves, those rubber yellow ones. Use a face mask, even a little dust mask is better than nothing, and open windows for ventilation," he said.

He also said consumers should be careful disposing of used cleaning supplies. In many cases, Schreiner said, household chemicals have also been known to impact amphibian populations and contaminatewater systems because of improper disposal.

"Most people using these chemicals will dump them down the drain or flush them in their toilet or wash them down the bathtub," he said. "Try to catch that in a bucket and not let it go down the drain."

Cleaning alternatives.

http://www.gillfinn.mionegroup.com 

Radical Berries

Radical Berries Hey, This is a great article written by Ben Miles about the importance of organic antioxidants. IMPORTANT NOTE - Coffee has antioxidants?  Hidden Truths, Hidden Lies Recently Nestle and Nescafe have launched a marketing campaign that states coffee is packed full of antioxidants. This is completely untrue! The process coffee beans go through to become a beverage destroys these nutrients. The coffee BERRY contains the antioxidants. The whole coffee fruit also contains many healthy poly-, oligo- (and five of the eight essential mono-)saccharides. Polysaccharides, such as mannans and aribinogalactans, make up nearly 50% of the coffee berry. Conventional roasting destroys these nutrients, so they're not found in traditional coffee. This is yet another example of the lengths marketing morons will go to to sell their product to unsuspecting consumers. Upon enquiring about where they got their facts from, Nestle were unable, or unwilling, to provide scientific evidence to show that they had found their coffee products to contain antioxidants. Reducing, or better still - removing, coffee from your diet is highly important. Your liver has to work incredibly hard to combat the side effects produced from drinking coffee, which include hyper activity, lack of concentration, heart palpitations, dizziness, the shakes, headaches (caused by dehydration) and more. Caffeine is also a diuretic - basically, it makes you pee. A lot of people report the same symptoms when ingesting Guarana or Ginseng but this is not cooked. It is better to buy your supplements cold processed. This way they have not been heated and will retain all their nutrients and beneficial properties. Some key antioxidant superfoods  Cacao (Raw chocolate); pronounced "kay-cow" The Berry family, including Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, etc. Goji berries; pronounced: "GOH-shee" Coffee berries Black currants & Red currants Pomegranate Bee Pollen Maca Acai; pronounced "ah-sa-ee" Spirulina, Dunaliella Salina and other blue-green algae Why might you need to take an antioxidant?  · You eat less than 10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day (5 cups). · You are affected by pollution or cigarette smoke. · You are concerned about free radical damage and aging. · You are under stress or have poor energy. · You have a chronic disease such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis. · You wish to assist with the prevention of chronic disease. What are the questions you should ask before buying an antioxidant formula?  1/ Does it have a high ORAC score? ORAC = Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This is the standardised measurement of the total antioxidant power of a substance. Nutritionists recommend 5000 ORAC units per day to mop up the damage caused by free radicals in the body. * 30ml of Tahitian Noni Juice has an ORAC score of 165 per serve * 630ml of Himalayan Goji Juice has an ORAC score of 380 per serve * 30ml of Xango Mangosteen Juice has an ORAC score of 530 per serve * 30ml of YL Berry Young has an ORAC score of 1130 per serve MiVitality Berry Radical contains 4000 ORAC per 5g serve. 2/ Is it certified organic? A $27 million, four year European funded project to be published this year has found that certified organic food is more nutritious than ordinary produce. Organic fruit and vegetables have been found to contain 20 - 40% more antioxidants than conventional fruit and veg. By buying a certified organic antioxidant you can be sure of the quality of the product. Many antioxidants contain ingredients that are commonly sourced from conventionally farmed produce. A certified organic antioxidant, like any certified organic product, is free from pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and the chemical cocktail used on conventional produce which have been shown to have a detrimental effect on the body. MiVitality Berry Radical is the only certified organic antioxidant superfood in the world. Certified by the ACO, Australia's largest certifying body. 3/ Is it portion controlled? As soon as an antioxidant is exposed to the air it starts its work; so an open bottle of liquid or container of powder will lose its potency as time goes on. MiVitality Berry Radical comes in 5g powder sachets so the minimal loss of free radical fighting ability can occur. 4/ Is it raw? Raw means unheated to about 48°C (118°F). Above this temperature, enzymes are destroyed, amino acids are denatured and vitamins are reduced. MiVitality Berry Radical is not exposed to such temperatures providing all the available nutrients from their natural state. 5/ Is it cost effective? The following figures are how much you would have to spend to get the equivalent ORAC units to one box of MiVitality Berry Radical. * 6 bottles of YL Berry Young costing US$325 * 12 bottles of Xango Mangosteen Juice costing US$480 * 17 bottles of Himalayan Goji Juice costing US$893 * 41 bottles of Tahitian Noni juice costing US$1727 ONE BOX of MiVitality Berry Radical contains 217,200 ORAC units! Each box contains 30x 5g sachets 6/ Is it free of dilution and preservatives? Liquid antioxidant formulas, such as Tahitian Noni Juice, Himalayan Goji Juice, Xango Mangosteen Juice and YL Berry Young, are diluted from concentrate with water. Subsequently they may require a preservative which is usually sodium, potassium benzoate or potassium sorbate. MiVitality Berry Radical is a potent freeze dried powder that is free of preservatives. http://www.gillfinn.mionegroup.com

Mildly Green

Hello,
my name's Graham, like the cracker.
I've been mildly green for quite a few years now. It seems strange to me when people refer to organics as a "movement" as though it is a new type of product.
I've been a member of a farm coop for a while, but it's nice to see the addition of some organic products in the local supermarket.
I grow my own squash, cucumbers, radish, and tomatoes in the summer.
The bigger changes I made this year was quitting my job and getting into selling organic products online.
I threw all my cleaning products in the trash along with antiperspirants, toothpaste, shaving cream etc.. i have one cleaning product (organic) that does the job of all the others.
My shaving cream is 70% organic and it's mostly just aloe, wow, a little goes a long way. It's the same with the deodorant, 100% organic, lasts a long time as well.
Anyway, until this past year, I really wasn't aware of the toxins present, not only in cleaning products, but in everything you use on a daily basis, things you put in your mouth, on skin, your hair.

It's amazing to me the chemicals present (carcinogenic) in almost everything. Over time, it has to take it's toll. I noticed on the back of a can of antiperspirant, it stated: breathing of contents may be harmful or fatal. It states the same on the back of room air freshener! How insane is that?

People put way too much faith in the FDA, and all the other federal agencies as well, I mean they're the ones that approve all these products/poisons for our consumption right?

I've never felt better and been happier about a decision than the one I made last year. This group needs to get much bigger.
Have fun and be well.
Graham
http://www.gillfinn.mionegroup.com

SURFACTANTS

Do you know what this word means? You've probably seen it listed on some of your skin-care products, most all shampoos, anything that foams.

SURFaceACtiveagENTS are substances capable of dissolving oils and holding dirt in suspension so it can be rinsed away with water. They are used in skin cleansers and shampoos.

A serious problem with ethoxylated surfactants (those that utilize ethylene or propylene oxide in the chemical reaction) is that they can be contaminated with dioxane, a potent carcinogen.

These surfactants are listed on labels as ingredients ending with-eth, (like laureth) or containing the phrase: PEG (PolyEthyleneGlycol) or PPG (PolyPropyleneGlycol).

I mean come on people! This stuff is used in car-washes and on factory floors! You're going to put it on your face, and wash your hair with it?

Another dangerous class of surfactants are amides. These are listed are listed on labels containing TEA- TriEthynolAmine, DEA- DiEthanolAmine and, MEA MonoEthanolAmine. All compounds containing TEA, DEA, and MEA can undergo nitrosation with other chemicals to form nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic (cancerous), how often do you wash your hair and clean your face? Do you think Proctor and Gamble will tell you about this? Or, do you feel that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will watch over you? Not when billions of dollars are at stake.

One study has found that over 40% of products containing Triethanolamine (TEA) were contaminated with these potent carcinogens.

Go get some of your products that you and your family use and read the labels!  

Do you think that the 18.4 % Aluminum Chlorohydrate in one can of Anti-perspirant might contribute to breast cancer, or cancer of the lymph system? Your lymph glands are under your arms. Did you know that on the label of this anti-perspirant  it states: Breathing of propellant can be harmful, or fatal! Ask your doctor if you have kidney disease before using this product! How can you NOT breath this product, using it every day? This is on the back of a can of: Arrid XX Ultra Clear, Ultra Fresh. Check it out, don't take my word for it, and the kicker is that we pay almost $5-6 dollars a can for the poison.

Take care of yourselves because your federal government won't.

G.

gillfinn@onegroup.com

Will Change Happen?

Hello, and welcome to the Organic Mechanic's blog. I wonder if change will really come about during the current run to the presidential elections. Or, will we languish in the mire that has plagued this once great nation for the last eight years? I say, "last eight years," because it's just gotten worse in that time. We've been lied to for a long time by this, and all the other preceding, elected, politicians and their internal agencies. The CDC, IRS, FDA, CIA, etc.. just to name a few.

Just take a walk through your local supermarket and look at the garbage that passes for food. The poison the FDA allows you to consume because of the lobbyists in Washington. Take a look at the label on the can of that Diet Coke you're drinking. Look for a little word that reads: Aspartame, it causes brain tumors and diabetes, it leaves residue in your body, that residue is called: Formaldehyde. Aspartame should never have been allowed to hit the market, but there was too much money to be made. Aspartame is in hundreds of fruit juices, chewing gum, Equal, Splenda, your kid's fruit roll-ups.

Look at the TV commercials that air 24/7. They don't have to sell them to you, you're already sold. You just go to your doctor and ask him for them. He gives you free samples, and the drug companies send he and his wife on luxurious vacations, while the "domino effect" takes place within your body. Something else goes wrong and they prescribe another drug for that, then your kidneys act up...etc.

My mom went into the hospital in May of 2007. She was diagnosed with colon cancer. They operated and removed the tumor. She was eighty-years-old, she looked radiant after the operation, and she was so excited to have a new chance. She went home and got better. My parents lived in Florida on a beautiful island called: Marco, in southwest Florida. My dad took my mother down to the beach every night to watch the sunset as she became stronger. Six weeks after her operation, she went back in to receive a checkup. In mid-June, the doctor was so pleased that she felt it was time to start my mom on Chemotherapy. My parents went home that night and discussed it. My mom said she was ready, and she began the first stage of an oral form of chemo. She progressed, and the doctor was again pleased enough to start her on the purest, most potent form of administering this drug. Toward the end of July, she was attached to a drip tube for three hours. My father picked her up after her first treatment and brought her home.

The doctor prescribed some pills for possible side effects. They went to the beach that night and watched the sunset.

A few days went by and my mom contracted diarrhea, she couldn't eat or drink anything. My dad went online and found that diarrhea was a major symptom of the chemotherapy. No one, including the doctor had told him what to possibly expect. the next day, my mom collapsed on the living-room floor. My dad called 9-1-1 and they rushed her to the hospital. They put her on an I.V. for a few days, then moved her to an off-site care center. She worsened, toward the end of August. She sounded so weak and disheartened, nothing like the optimist she was. By the end of the day on September 6th. 2007, my wonderful mother succumbed to complications due to chemotherapy.

My dad was devastated. After fifty-one-years of marriage, "she was suddenly just gone" as he put it.

Later, we found out, the very same doctor that had prescribed my mom's cancer treatment had run a patient profile before her operation. The profile had stated that someone her age should never have been given chemotherapy because the risks were far too great. The health insurance provider was billed eight-thousand-dollars for the three-hour treatment that killed my mom.

My dad said there must have been twenty patients there that day, receiving the chemo-drip in rows of chairs lining the wall.

Healthcare in this country is a business. You aren't a patient, you're a customer. It's just too bad my mom couldn't get a refund for something she never needed in the first place.