Can I ask you a question?

Don’t worry, this is a judgment-free zone.

Ok, here goes:   Are you aware of what  Free Radicals or Anti-Oxidants are?

You may have heard of them via social media or even your doctor, but has anyone ever explained them to you?

I ask because… for a LONG time, I didn’t fully understand it myself.

I used to only know the basics: Free Radicals are Bad, and Antioxidants are Good.

But what they actually did? How they work? NO CLUE.

And when I finally learned (thanks to my degree in functional medicine), I was blown away…

Not just because it finally made sense…

But because the understanding actually CHANGED my behavior.

So if you’re a little unclear on the details, please let me guide you through a simple explanation……

Ok, let’s start here:

  1. Antioxidants and free radicals are two types of molecules.
  2. Free radicals are “unstable molecules” – that means they’re missing an electron. They’re made by your body all the time as part of normal functioning such as performing basic metabolic functions, fighting infections, working out etc.
  3. We can also pick up free radicals in the environment – everything from eating fried food to breathing in car exhaust, having a silver amalgam dental filling (heavy metals), flying on a plane (radiation), waking into a public bathroom that was cleaned with bleach etc.

Free radicals are ultra reactive to other cells in the body, remember they are unstable.

They can easily set off chain reactions in the body (like knocking down the first domino), and they also act like thieves, stealing electrons from other molecules.

My favorite metaphor

Imagine your body is like your house and it is being heated by a fireplace. This fireplace keeps it warm inside so you can sleep and eat in comfort.  And the effects of burning wood in that fireplace causes by-products, such as ashes that may stain your carpet, sparks that may burn your carpet, and smoke that may coat your walls.

Basic metabolic functions, such as making energy in your cells (warming your house with a fireplace), causes free radicals, and those can cause damage to your body aka “house”, just like a fire can make byproducts that cause damage to your “house”.

And this is how free radicals are linked to all sorts of unpleasant symptoms, such as diseases (cancer, heart disease, diabetes, to name a few) and aging.

But don’t panic… There’s an antidote to free radicals!

That’s where antioxidants come in.

Here is the basic chemistry:  Antioxidants are molecules that can spare an electron without becoming unstable themselves. So they can give free radicals a spare electron and stabilize them.

Once they’re stable, the free radicals become less reactive and stop causing damage to your cells and body.

Isn’t your body amazing?!!

There is one more problem though…….

Most people in the modern world are creating and taking in far more free radicals than antioxidants… that creates a state called “oxidative stress” – which is a major cause of inflammation, disease and aging.

Oxidative stress is also called “internal rusting” – think what happens when a cut apple starts to turn brown, it’s oxidation.

And that’s why it is SO crucial to consume tons of food that are rich in antioxidants.

Antioxidant-Rich Foods:

  1. Blueberries
  2. Kale and broccoli
  3. Spinach
  4. Spirulina
  5. Camu Camu
  6. Parsley
  7. Rosehips
  8. Pomegranate seeds
  9. Dark Chocolate
  10. Goji berries
  11. Pecans
  12. Artichokes
  13. Raspberries
  14. Red Cabbage
  15. Beets

These foods help to keep your antioxidant count as high as your free radicals and prevent those negative outcomes. And if you aren’t eating enough of them, or aren’t absorbing things well in your gut, then you can take supplements.

For me, this was a huge reminder……. It is actually quite simple. Food is medicine and we can get so much from phytochemicals (plant-based nutrients). That is why eating antioxidant-rich foods really IS important!

But we usually don’t eat enough of the good stuff, or are able to properly absorb it so I support taking antioxidants in order to give your body everything it needs to repair and prevent more free radical damage and oxidative stress.

If you skip out on the good foods your body needs, then you’re setting yourself up for inflammation and disease.

A few Pro Tips:

Get a complex green powder that doesn’t have proinflammatory grasses in it and make green drinks (Designs for Health, Innotech, and PaleoValley all have great options). Email me if you’d like to order one.

  • Take a liposomal or food-based Vitamin C product.
  • Avoid unnecessary free radical exposure: toxic cleaning supplies at home, perfumes/colognes, processed and fried foods, coffee, heavy metal in your mouth
  • Get a Vitamin C IV once a month, see if they can add Alpha Lipoic Acid (another antioxidant), and or glutathione.
  • Get plenty of deep sleep: create a healthy sleep hygiene schedule for yourself.
  • Exercise, but not too much. Longer exercise routines or endurance athletics create high amounts of free radicals and oxidative stress and damage. If it’s over an hour, it may be too much for you.
  • Drink more water to help hydrate your cells and systems so you can properly detoxify your body.
  • De-stress your life and body: Consider neural therapy to downregulate your nervous system, acupuncture, visceral manipulation, meditation, yoga practices, breathwork, or sacred plant medicine ceremonies to name a few.

Mystery Revealed! Free radicals and antioxidants to combat them are important to understand and integrate into your nutritional habits so you can remain happy and healthy, sharing your passions with the world.

We need you around so let’s level up together!

Blessings of Vibrant Health,

Kristin Grayce