What is an Antioxidant and WHY do I need them?
So maybe you remember the movie with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston called "The Bodyguard"? Imagine if you will, that Whitney is one of your beautiful trillion CELLS, and Kevin is an ANTIOXIDANT (a handsome one too, right!). Antioxidant Kevin is just hanging around waiting to fulfill his mission and protect this beautiful Cell Whitney. Along comes the killer free-radical bearing down on Cell Whitney. . . BUT Antioxidant Kevin steps in and takes the hit. . . Yay! . . . Whitney lives to see another day!
This creative story describing what an antioxidant is and the vital role it plays in maintaining healthy cells (and the resulting overall health of YOU), is one that really made sense to me and stuck with me ever since I heard it told in a nutrition workshop I attended so long ago, that I can't even remember who told it.
So why is this important to share with you? Because maybe if this makes sense, you will be on a mission to include lots of Antioxidants in your diet.
The average adult human has around 37.2 trillion cells. Each one of those beautiful cells not only need nourishment, but also protection. Research has shown that the more we protect our cells from oxidative free-radical damage -- a process that occures naturally in the body if we are breathing (and all of us are breathing oxygen, right?) -- the stronger our immune systems, and the better chance we have for winning the war our bodies fight every minute of every day of our lives.
So how do we fight oxidative free-radical damage (or pre-mature aging)? . . . copious amounts, and a wide variety of FRUITS and VEGETABLES (lots of Kevin Costners)! As you're reading this, your body is engaged in a battle to maintain balance. . . homeostasis. . . fighting everything from the common cold to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and every other disease you can think of. . . even though you may not be aware of it or feel it. That's how miraculous your body is!
From my research, the latest guidelines by the U.S. Government on the number of servings of fruites and vegetables recommended for a healthy adult is 7-13 servings DAILY! I have to admit, this is a pretty challenging feat even for the most diet-conscious individuals, including myself.
Over 10 years ago, I found a solution. Enter my nutrition-conscious friends I am blessed to have acquired in my life (one a nutritionist, and one a Doctor of Oriental Medicine), who proceed to tell me there was an easy answer. . . the nutritional essence of 30 vine-ripened fruits, vegetables and grains in a capsule, with so much independent research supporting the product, that medical professionals were recommending it to their patients. Among them the famous pediatrition Dr. William Sears; Dr. Richard DuBois, who served four terms as Chief of Internal Medicine at Atlanta Medical Center; Dr. Mitra Ray, a research biochemist whose work in cell biology has been funded by the National Institutes of Health; and Dr. Delia Garcia, a radiation oncologist who has been selected to appear in Best Doctors in America as a leading expert in breast cancer. . . just to name just a few!
"Susan Silberstein, Ph.D. is Executive Director of the Center for Advancement in Cancer Educaton (BeatCancer.org), a not-for-profit agency that she founded in 1977 after losing her husband to cancer. Since then, CACE has provided cancer support services to over 25,000 patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Dr. Silberstein Believes that Millions of North Americans are 'digging their graves with their forks' through unhealthy food choices -- particularly their failure to eat enough fruits and vegetables."
This nutraceutical is called Juice Plus+ and it is being marketed as a way to bridge the gap between what we SHOULD eat and what we actually DO eat.*
Since both my parents died early in their journey (77 years young!) and within 6 months of each other, and both from what is considered to be PREVENTABLE diseases, I became EXTREMELY interested in this product, not only for myself, but for my family.
Also, my daughter is severly autistic and cannot tell me when something is wrong in her body. . . when her throat is sore or when she has pain of any kind. It was obvious to me that PREVENTION was the insurance policy I needed to obtain for Jessica.
Has this tool for prevention paid off for our health. . . in more ways than you can imagine. We rarely are sick of any kind and when we do manage to pickup whatever is going around, its mild. Even though we both have healthy eating habits, most days it's next to impossible to obtain, much less consume, the many fruits and vegetables our bodies need daily. This is the same thing I hear from all my customers. Some consumers have even shared that because they have been on a regimen of Juice Plus+, that they have been able to decrease or eliminate their need for other medications. . . and that's why I will continue to take Juice Plus+ and recommend it to anyone who will listen.
As with anything you consume. . . do your research, look at the clinical data. There is a reason why thousands of doctors and medical professionals are recommending Juice Plus+ to their patients.
_________
