Antioxidants – Can You Get Too Many?

As a result of an increased awareness of the damaging effects of free radicals, everywhere you turn someone has a high antioxidant supplement they want you to buy. They range from supplements containing vitamins C and E and the trace mineral selenium (give or take a few nutrients) to supercharged juices made from exotic berries, like acai berries. The prices are anywhere from about $10.00 all the way up to $70.00 for a bottle of juice; or $2.00 for one small square of acai-added chocolate.

One of the features used to market these products is their high ORAC value, and the manufacturers are now trying to outdo one another by getting higher and higher on their ORAC values. So what is ORAC and are these products really worth the high prices?

Best Picks for Low Pesticide Foods

More and more evidence shows that pesticides can disrupt our hormonal balance and even suppress our immunity and cause neurological damage. In past articles I have noted that to reduce your body’s toxic burden from pesticides, one of the most important steps you can take is to eat organic foods as often as possible.

But for many people, the higher price tag on many of these foods can be cost prohibitive. If you can’t afford to buy “all organic,” here are some pointers to help you prioritize which foods to spend a little more on and which foods will be the lesser of evils if you can’t buy the organic version.

EVOO… Is it Always Healthy?

Thanks to Rachel Ray and the recent popularity of the Mediterranean Diet, it seems that everyone is on the EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) bandwagon.

Certainly, healthy oils and fats are now known to have many benefits when eaten as part of a low carb, anti-inflammatory diet. But many people are not aware that the biggest trick to keeping our intake of fats healthy, is to know whether they can be heated or not — and if so, to what temperature.

In pressing nuts, seeds, grains, or olives to make oil, the pressing itself creates heat. This is why cold-pressed oils are more desirable. Keeping the temperatures down during pressing helps prevent the creation of oxidized fats. Oils are more prone to the damaging effects of heat than saturated fats, which are chemically more stable. Heating oils to higher temperatures than they can tolerate, oxidizes them and creates a potent source of free radicals — highly unstable molecules that can damage our cells.

Are There Really Any “Super Foods”?

As a dietitian, I strongly believe in the power of a healthy diet to improve a person’s life — but I do sometimes grow tired of headlines like “The 7 Super Foods You Should Always Eat,” “3 Healthy Breakfasts for a Better You” or “Super Berry Fights Heart Disease and Cancer.” While I understand the intent of most of these types of articles, no one food (e.g., an acai berry) or even ten foods, has the power to completely eliminate your chance for disease — and may not do much at all depending on other health factors you may have.

For instance, some of the foods I have seen on these lists are berries, oatmeal, barley, or other whole grains, sweet potatoes, and even bananas. While these foods are indeed nutrient packed, most of them are high glycemic load foods.