Antioxidants seem to be stressed more and more these days as important elements to maintain good health and prevent disease as well as the aging process. This is the case simply because as we discover more and more about what foods are not only good for us, but great for us to maintain health and even help us to heal, we naturally tend to look deeper at these foods – superfoods to see exactly what it is inside them that gives them this power.

There are many elements that could be said are the basis for the makeup of a true superfood (see my post What Are Superfoods? for more on this), but a big factor in this equation is antioxidant properties. So what are antioxidants exactly? An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation itself is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Now the important key here that relates to human health is that oxidation reactions can produce free radicals which start chain reactions that damage cells and cause oxidative stress.

Oxidation is itself is not necessarily bad, as it is an important aspect of life itself. It is a bit of a paradox really, as most life on our planet requires oxygen for its very survival. And yet, oxygen is a highly reactive molecule that damages living organisms by producing something called reactive oxygen species which can have numerous harmful effects such as causing damage to various types of cellular activity like DNA for example.

So since we know that oxidation reactions can be damaging, especially in their ability to damage and even kill cells, how do we assist our bodies to increase its levels of antioxidant properties? Well there are many dietary supplements out on the market today that we can take to increase the antioxidant levels in our bodies, so this is one way. Antioxidants come in all shapes and sizes, from various vitamins like (ascorbic acid) vitamin C & (tocopherol) vitamin E, uric acid to various enzymes produced by our bodies as well as by plants and animals like catalase and peroxiredoxins.

Increasing these types of naturally occurring antioxidants in our bodies will help to increase our health and reduce our susceptibility to degenerative diseases. Besides taking specifically formulated antioxidant supplements, eating healthier in general is a simple and yet highly effective way to increase our intake of antioxidants. Eating superfoods high in antioxidant properties such as carrots, tomatoes, oranges, broccoli, blueberries, green leafy vegetables (have you noticed that all of these foods have bright colors?) nuts, seeds, vegetable oil and flax seed oil as well for example is the best way in my opinion because quite simply… it’s the most natural way.

Eating right by adding high antioxidant content superfoods like these into your daily diet will keep you healthy and disease free. Harness the power of antioxidants through natural God given superfoods and you can’t go wrong. Supplements are great, but remember everything that we need is supplied for us here in abundance on earth already.

So what makes blueberries a superfood? Well probably more than anything else, blueberries are known for their high amounts antioxidant phytonutrients. Antioxidants are super important to good health in that they help to protect the body against free radicals which cause cell damage as well as against inflammation which is a common factor in various chronic diseases associated with the aging process. Anti-aging is a hot topic these days as more people (especially baby boomers) want to live not only longer, but healthier and with a better quality of life.

So while we humans have still not found the fountain of youth, there is a lot we can do to slow down the aging process and age gracefully. This is where antioxidants come into play. Free radicals are the unstable oxygen molecules that are associated with speeding up the aging process as well as a host of other degenerative diseases. Free radicals are neutralized by antioxidants to great degree. Prevention of cell damage, heart disease and cancer can be attributed to the power of blueberries.

Also researchers are finding that blueberries promote brain health, urinary tract health and increased night vision. According to a test called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), researchers have shown that blueberries have some of the highest known levels of antioxidant activity among fruits and vegetables. Blueberries also have a very diverse range of micronutrients as well. These micronutrients include the mineral manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K and dietary fiber.

Another great thing about blueberries is that they are easy to come by. If you live in America, they will be almost always fresh as they are native to North America. I have actually picked wild blueberries myself here in NJ, and if you get the chance to do so yourself I highly recommend it. It is recommended to consume 1 – 2 cups of blueberries daily to reap the full health benefits. This is easy to do as you can eat them on the road, at work or wherever. No cooking or preparing involved, just pick and enjoy.

Out of all the SuperFoods that I take, I can say that green foods are my probably my favorite. Why? For several reasons, for starters I can actually feel the energy that they imbue in my body when I take them. Secondly, since I am a big fan of detoxifying my body on a continual basis, they do a great job of cleansing the lymph system and removing toxic chemicals from the body’s cells. Another reason that I love green foods so much is because I simply love the taste.

I normally drink my ‘greens’ by mixing them in with fresh organic juices that I mix together. The taste is amazing, I like to say that it tastes like you are drinking the blood of the earth. In fact, green foods like barley grass, wheat grass, spirulina and blue-green algae have super high concentrations of the phytochemical chlorophyll which is the equivalent of hemoglobin that is found in red blood cells. Chlorophyll is the natural plant pigment that gives grass, plants and vegetables their color.

You can actually taste the cleansing effect that these high concentrations of chlorophyll have on eliminating bad breadth and foul internal odors, which the therapeutic effects of chlorophyll is known for. Wheat grass is one of the best sources of living chlorophyll. Since chlorophyll is also known for it’s immense potential to prevent many types of cancers, you can see why consuming wheat grass is so highly recommended.

Other great health benefits that come with taking green foods (aka young cereal grasses) are the wide variety of essential vitamins and minerals that have tremendous healing and preventative capabilities. For example wheat grass has been used as an alternative therapy for chronic diseases for decades.

Barley grass has been commonly recommended by persons who study natural healing techniques. Green foods are also known for their blood building and blood regeneration factors, as well as for their nourishing and purifying of the liver and kidneys due to their high chlorophyll, antioxidant and phytochemical properties.

I buy my green foods in dried powdered form (which is the common form they are sold in) so it easy to mix them with fresh organic vegetable and fruit juices. Green foods like barley grass and wheat grass are young cereal grasses that are known for their rich green color. It’s interesting to note that barley and wheat grass in their early stages are closer to vegetables than grains in composition. The nutrient profile of these young cereal grasses is similar to those of the most nutritious dark green leafy vegetables.

There are obviously so many reasons that you should be adding ‘Green Foods’ into your diet if you haven’t already. Green foods have been an essential part of human beings diet for thousands of years, and I am sure they will be as long as we continue to inhabit the earth. Maybe the reason why I love green foods so much and that they are the earth’s true SuperFoods is because it’s built into my DNA, who knows? Oh yeah Green Foods are known for their ability to inhibit certain DNA damaging chemicals, as they say listen to your body.

The greatest vitamin sources vary for each vitamin. It is important to have a balanced diet to ensure that the required amounts of each vitamin are obtained. However, it may be useful to list the greatest vitamin sources for each vitamin to be used as a guide, so here you go:

* Greatest  vitamin A sources are milk, eggs, butter, yellow fruits & vegetables, acai, dark green fruits & vegetables, liver

* Greatest  vitamin B1 sources are brewer’s yeast, whole grains, blackstrap molasses,  acai, brown rice, organ meats, egg yolk

* Greatest  vitamin B2 sources are brewer’s yeast, whole grains, legumes, nuts, acai, organ meats, blackstrap molasses

* Greatest  vitamin B3 sources are lean meats, poultry & fish, brewer’s yeast, peanuts, milk, rice bran, potatoes

* Greatest  vitamin B4 sources are egg yolks, organ meats, brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, soybeans, fish, legumes

* Greatest  vitamin B5 sources are organ meats, egg yolks, legumes, whole grains, wheat germ, salmon, brewer’s yeast

* Greatest  vitamin B6 sources are meats, whole grains, organ meats brewer’s yeast, blackstrap molasses, wheat germ

* Greatest  vitamin B7 sources are egg yolks, liver, unpolished rice, brewer’s yeast, sardines, legumes, whole grains

* Greatest  vitamin B8 sources are who1e grains, citrus fruits, molasses, meat, milk, nuts, vegetables, brewer’s yeast

* Greatest  vitamin B9 sources are dark-green leafy vegetables, organ meats, root vegetables, oysters, salmon, milk

* Greatest  vitamin B12 sources are organ meats, fish, pork, eggs, cheese, milk, lamb, bananas, kelp, peanuts

* Greatest  vitamin B13 sources are root vegetables, liquid whey

* Greatest  vitamin B15 sources are brewer’s yeast, rare steaks, brown rice, sunflower, pumpkin & sesame seeds

* Greatest  vitamin B17 sources are whole kernels of apricots, apples, cherries, peaches, plums

* Greatest  vitamin C sources are citrus, cabbage family, chilli peppers, berries, (acai) melons, asparagus, rose hips

* Greatest  vitamin D sources are salmon, sardines, herring, milk, egg yolk, organ meats, sprouted seeds, sunflower seeds

* Greatest  vitamin E sources are cold-pressed oils, eggs, wheat germ, acai, organ meats, molasses, sweet potatoes, nuts

* Greatest  vitamin F sources are vegetable oils, butter, sunflower seeds

* Greatest  vitamin K sources are green leafy vegetables, egg yolks, safflower oil, blackstrap molasses, cauliflower

* Greatest  vitamin Q sources are pinto beans, legumes, soybeans

* Greatest  vitamin T sources are sesame seeds, raw seeds, butter, egg yolk

* Greatest  vitamin V sources are raw cabbage, sauerkraut, leafy vegetables

Age defying superfoods are also known for their ‘Brain-Beauty connection’, which are rich in either Essential Fatty Acids, antioxidants or fiber. These top ten superfoods were also picked specifically by Dr. Perricone because they help to regulate blood sugar levels which help to prevent a whole range of diseases like diabetes and obesity, on top of slowing down the aging process and promoting overall health. They are:

• Açaí
• The Allium Family
• Barley
• Beans and Lentils
• Buckwheat
• Green Foods
• Hot Peppers
• Nuts and Seeds
• Sprouts
• Yogurt and Kefir

What I really like about this particular list is that it’s relatively easy to integrate these superfoods into your everyday diet. With the exception of Dr. Perricone’s top superfood choice – the exotic acai berry, and his sixth choice – green foods, most of these foods are easy to find and can be found at your local supermarket. Also they can be eaten as standalone foods or used in a variety of ways to replace ingredients inside of, as well as enhance your most common and favorite recipes.

If you are a health conscious person and follow the latest news on what’s good for you, I am sure you have heard something in the news about the now popular acai berry. Like most other people, I was curious too what the acai craze is all about and if the claims that a lot of people and companies have been making about this little berry are true. So as I always do, I did my research and due diligence.

Well it turns out that the acai (pronounced ah-SAH-ee) berry is one the most nutritious and good for you foods on our planet. It is without a doubt a true superfood, if not Thee Superfood. The acai berry is produced by the acai palm, which is native to tropical Central and South America. For the most part though, the acai berry is harvested in the rainforests of Brazil. The acai berry or fruit itself is small, round and blackish purple in appearance. It is about the size of a grape and similar in appearance, but with less pulp.

The acai berry is harvested as food by the Brazilian natives where it grows and is considered by them to be the most valuable plant species due to it’s heavy use in their diet and it’s economic viability. The juice and pulp of the acai fruit are used to make smoothies, ice cream, sodas and other various juice blends. Elsewhere, companies abroad have taken advantage of the popular acai trend to create highly beneficial dietary supplements, as well as tablets, juices, smoothies, drink powders and whole fruit.

What makes this fruit so nutritious and remarkable is it’s super rich content of anti-oxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids. The antioxidants are what make the acai berry such a powerful anti-aging superfood. Acai has 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes, which is pretty amazing. Most of this rich phytochemical content is found in the pulp of the fruit.

The acai fruit contains some of the highest contents known of monounsaturated oleic acid. It is an omega-9 fatty acid, and is one the healthier sources of fat in the diet. As a replacement for other saturated fats, it can lower total cholesterol level and raise levels of HDL’s (known as good cholesterol) and lower LDL’s (known as bad cholesterol.

In addition the acai fruit contains rich sources of dietary fiber, amino acids coupled with valuable trace materials that aid the body’s muscle, cardiovascular and digestive systems. It makes sense why native Brazilians have been using this awesome and powerful berry in their diets for centuries now. Not only is it great for you, it tastes great as well. One of the rare foods that tastes great and is great for you.

It goes without saying that adding acai to your diet is a great idea if you haven’t already. It’s not the easiest thing to find though, as most likely your local supermarket will not be carrying it due to it’s exotic nature. But I am sure most health food stores (my local one does) may be carrying it.

You most likely will find it in smoothie or juice form, and not the berry itself. There are many high quality acai berry dietary supplements on the market today as well, just do your research to make sure you buy it from a reputable company that makes quality products.  Click Here for more information on a high quality acai product that I recommend.

So what exactly are superfoods? According to wikipedia, superfood is a term that sometimes  is used to describe food with high phytonutrient and antioxidant content that some may believe confers health benefits as a result. For example, blueberries are often considered a superfood (or superfruit) because they contain significant amounts of antioxidants, anthocyanins, vitamin C, manganese, and dietary fiber. Phytonutrients or phytochemicals are plant derived chemical compounds that are known for their potential health promoting properties.

Phytochemicals have been used as therapeutic drugs for millennia. A popular example of this is salicin, which has pain relieving and anti-inflammatory properties which was originally extracted from the white willow tree and later synthetically produced to create the commonly used over the counter drug aspirin. Superfoods though as a modern term are more specifically found in the form of everyday foods we can eat to enhance our overall health, as opposed to specific herbal applications to help remedy specific body ailments.

An example of a modern superfood which we eat everyday that is also a remedy to a disease are oranges, tangerines and other fruit which are rich in vitamin C, can counteract scurvy which is a disease due to vitamin C deficiency. Garlic also behaves as a food and as a remedy for bacillary dysentery.

That being said, knowing which types of phytochemicals are found in which types of plants is great to know if we are looking to relieve and help heal specific ailments. I will delve into what plants and foods are good to consume to help relieve many of the common symptoms and pains people deal with.

It is interesting to note that there is no legal definition of the term ‘Superfood’. For example dieticians and nutritional scientists for the most part do not use the term superfoods as a common term among their peers. Also many claim that consuming particular foodstuffs do not actually confer an actual health benefit. To me this is actually quite shocking because it obvious to me that some foods will have a completely different impact on the body than others.

I don’t need a nutritionist to tell me this, I can actually feel the difference bodily. Not only that but taking food as medicine has been practiced by ancient cultures for millennia. The Chinese especially come to mind, they even have a specific term called Dietotherapy – which refers to the treatment of disease by taking common foodstuffs.

These foodstuffs in China are sometimes called by the name of medicinal foods. Modern western medicine though does not recognize everyday ‘food’ as medicine, so knowing this you can understand why western nutritionists and scientists frown on the term superfoods.

Simply put, food contains the various nutrients which provide the energy supply for the body’s growth and activities. Nutrients are essential for people during illness to overcome pathogenic factors and repair tissue damage, and to resist and prevent diseases while in good health. All foods have different chemical composition and nutritional values, so it makes sense that some foods will invigorate and heal more so than others.

Superfoods come in all shapes and sizes and there is no definitive ‘superfood list’. This is simply because it is not an official diet and medical term, as stated above. So why is phytonutrient or phytochemical content important to knowing what food are superfoods?

Quite simply as I stated above, phytonutrients or phytochemicals are plant derived chemical compounds that are known for their potential health promoting properties. Some animal derived foods are also known as superfoods.

Here is a good list I have compiled of some of the top superfoods that you can incorporate into your life:

· Barley

· Alfalfa

· Wheat Grasses

· Green Foods

· Apples

· Sprouts

· Spinach Leaf

· Beans & Lentils

· Papaya, Mangos

· Blue Green Algae

· Avocado

· Bee Pollen

· Bananas

· Hot Peppers

· Buckweat

· Broccoli

· Blueberries

· Acai

· Oats

· Oranges, Citrus Fruits

· Pumpkin

· Quinoa

· Raspberries

· Rose Hips

· Seaweed (purple dulse)

· Salmon

· Soy

· Spinach

· Tea (green or black)

· Tomatoes

· Turkey

· Salmon

· Walnuts

· Yogurt and Kefir

· Broccoli

· Kale

· Watercress

· Chlorella

· Garlic

· Flax Seed

· Carrots

· Goji (wolfberry)

· Olive Oil