What the heck is Glutathione?
(gloota-thigh-own)
Glutathione is a POWERFUL antioxidant. Why haven’t you heard about it. Because it’s not jazzy sounding like some. Not behind some product. Lots more could be said here, but we will skip for another day.
We hear the word antioxidant ALL THE TIME. We throw that term around like we really understand it. But do we? If we did, I bet we’d try to get more of them. And hear this. Not all antioxidants are created equal.
If you’re breathing right now, moving your eyes to read, holding your breath… blinking, WHATEVER, you have the process going on in your body. Metabolism. Fact of life. We like to breathe, so the process is a great thing. But just like we like our cars, because walking to Starbucks everyday would not be all that pleasant, there are downsides to this process of living and breathing. Think of your car. You put gas in, the engine burns the gas for fuel, things go zoom to starbucks…but we totally forget the negative stuff, because in our car, unless your muffler goes out, you don’t know that the exhaust of the engine burning fuel is a fact of life. We don’t see it. It’s behind us. Unless we are sitting behind the city bus, waiting for it to move the heck out of the way so we could get to starbucks.
Ok. So back to the body. You blink, press the gas pedal, your body needs fuel to do that. Zoom. Inside you, the process’s exhaust is called a free radical. And he’s just plain crazy. Actually, a free radical is an unstable oxygen molecule, missing an electron. And left unchecked, causes lots of problems. What the free radical does is take an electron from whatever neighbor happens to be walkhing by, and GUESS WHAT, turns that perfectly innocent, and maybe functionally totally fine cell into a free radical itself. SEE?????? So think of on down the road…some dirt in the tank is ok. Fuel filter takes care. A bit more…replace the fuel filter…but there is wear and tear. And eventually…So maybe you get the picture. What it’s really called is oxidative stress. Forward thinking doctors will say that this is the foundation of just about all disease and sickness. So whats a person to do? Stop breathing? Stop blinking?
Introduce A N T I O X I D A N T. Simply put, this wonderful thing of nature, The Antioxidant, neutralizes the free radical. The antioxidant has an electron to donate without going crazy itself. And PRESTO. All is well in love and war. The key with antioxidants. You really don’t know when you’ll be behind the bus…literally breathing in toxins (free radicals and who knows what else), do your body needs to have lots of antioxidants on hand. IN the bloodstream. In the body.
So…for more information, for those you like this kind of stuff, “G” or glutathione, is a triple threat to toxins. It neutralizes free radicals, enhances the immune system and detoxifies the liver.
And here’s a kicker, even if you’re doing everything right, just by aging, antioxidants like G start to slip. The levels just go down. So, what about this one. There are literally thousands of antioxidants. What’s so special about this one. Well, its found in every cell of the body, protecting the cell’s engine from bacteria, viruses and toxins. Did you know that antioxidants have a very short life span. Once they neutralize a free radical. Bye bye birdie. HOWEVER!!! G has enough zip to revitalize spent antioxidants like C and E, and recharging itself as well. SUPERMAN!!!!
So where does this G come from. Amino acids, particularly in foods such as asparagus, spinach, avocado and squash. Your body takes the plant version can CONVERTS it to replenish the body’s supply.
So your body’s primary detox organ is the liver. Ever thought about that? The liver is seriously important. Though aren’t they all. Check out the blog on the facial smoothie. What a clear face. Detox the liver because if the liver is not working all that great, those toxins gooooooo…ON THE SKIN, ON THE FACE. Waste products/toxins on the face is what that is really saying. A whole slew of skin things can be cleared up by loving on the liver. What the liver does is determine if an item is a nutrient to be absorb or gotten rid of. And when there isn’t enough G around, there’s a traffic jam. Toxins pile up, and they got to go somewhere.
G owes much of it’s fame to a sulfur-rich amino acid found in eggs, garlic and whey protein. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage help to restock the body’s G supply. Green tea, fish oil and resveratrol also aid in making G. And CHECK THIS OUT, aerobic exercise and yoga boost G levels as well.
So understand, your body makes this. Or converts it from plant form. No simple pill. So a more whole food diet is needed. And less stress, less toxins. Here is a list of foods. And know that if you eat more fruits and veggies, your body will rely less on G, and thus you’ll have a stock pile, for when you’re sitting behind the bus, your body is equipped to deal. Or if you boss really lays it on you. Or you go run a 26 mile race. 🙂 Nourish the body, so when stress comes, it’s LESS STRESSFUL.
G- foods: asparagus, spinach, avocado, squash, melons, grapefruit – EATEN RAW
Building Blocks for G: eggs, garlic, whey protein (bio active and undenatured or nondenatured proteins).
