Foods For Anti Aging: Acai And Other Fruits, Anti-Inflammatory Foods & More

Mother Nature's Foods for Anti AgingFruits and The Acai Berry When it comes to Mother Nature's very best foods for anti aging, there is no real competition: it is fruits and vegetables. But of all the fruits and vegetables out there, the number one antioxidant food ever discovered is the acai berry from the Brazilian rain forest. In all the published literature from the USDA, the acai berry rates as the #1 antioxidant food ever discovered. The problem is: the acai berry must be picked and processed within 12 to 24 hours to retain it's nutritional value. Considering someone has to climb 60 to 90 feet up the Euterpe Oleracea palm tree to harvest the berry, then strip them into wooden buckets and row a boat 6 hours to the nearest refrigeration plant in Belem, Brazil, this is no easy feat! When properly picked and processed into a freeze dried powder, called "Opti-Acai," the berry boasts an antioxidant ORAC score of 1027 per gram. This is nearly 10 x the ORAC score of the nearest potent competitor, the blueberry: another amazing anti-aging fruit. But, let's back up a bit. What is the ORAC score? ORAC: Oxygen Radical Absorbance CapacityAlso Known As "Anti-Aging" Units That sure sounds scary, doesn't it? Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. Don't be scared. It's simply a measurement of a foods ability to neutralize free radicals in a test tube. The higher the ORAC score, the more ability a food has to stop free radicals from damaging the cells and cell structures of the body. Since free radical damage is the number one cause of aging, you can see why the ORAC score has been dubbed it's nickname: "anti-aging" units. Discovered at Tufts University, the ORAC score has been touted as the biggest advance in nutritional science in the last 100 years. It gives us the ability to objectively analyze a foods ability to qwell free radicals and prevent free radical damage to the body. The higher the ORAC score of a food, the greater its anti-aging effect. But, back to the acai berry for now. This amazing berry, unlike any other single food ever discovered, has the ability to sustain life for nearly six months. It contains: every essential amino acid required for protein synthesis and life. critical essential fatty acids: omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9. excellent fiber 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes 10 to 30 times the anthocyanins of red wine. (Anthocyanins are the phytonutrients found in red wine that help make it heart healthy.) phytosterols that help lower cholesterol and promote heart health valuable trace minerals Where Can You Find The Acai Berry? Because it is so delicate, this berry must be properly processed in order to obtain any significant anti-aging benefit from it. Unfortunately, many companies go to Brazil and purchase the acai berry when it is 2 to 3 days old (off the tree) because it is so much cheaper. Needless to say, it is pretty much nutritionally deplete by then. Another difficulty is that the processing of the berry dramatically affects its anti aging benefits. For example, most companies spray dry, air dry or barrel dry the berry because it is an inexpensive way to process the berry. Unfortunately, this removes up to 60% of the essential antioxidants and phytonutrients found in the berry. I have personally researched the science behind the acai berry in depth and without a doubt the acai fruit blend produced by Monarch Health Sciences is the very best formulation I have ever seen. They blend the acai berry with 18 other fruits that cover the color spectrum of the rainbow, ensuring the proper mix of antioxidants and phytonutrients. They are the only company to use the patent pending freeze drying process, which preserves virtually 98% to 100% of the antioxidants and phytonutrients. Additionally, the blend is then flash pasteurized rather than the traditional kettle pasteurization. This is important because flash pasteurization retains nearly 100% of the phytonutrients and antioxidants. Yes, flash pasteurization is nearly 10 times more expensive, but vital nutrients remain intact. Monarch Health Science's acai fruit blend is formulated and concentrated so that only 4 ounces a day provides the antioxidant equivalent of 13 servings of common fruits and vegetables a day, along with a powerful phytonutrient punch. For more information on where to purchase this best-of-class acai blend, please click here for more information. Also, feel free to contact me at 949.502.5656 for more information, or email me by clicking here. Anti-Inflammatory Foods Remember, when it comes to aging, free radicals, which set off an inflammatory domino effect within the cells, are the enemy. And once you know who the enemy is, it's easier to see who your friends are. Your friends are antioxidants, which essentially neutralize free radicals and anti-inflammatories, which stop the inflammatory process. When it comes to foods for anti aging, certain foods are pro-inflammatory (i.e. they create inflammation and worsen aging) and anti-inflammatory (i.e. they stop inflammation and decrease the rate at which you age.) So, here's the simple list of anti-inflammatory foods that you can eat to help you dramatically lessen and even reverse the signs of aging. They are: Virtually every fresh fruit and vegetable is highly anti-inflammatory. The best of the best are the highly pigmented fruits like acai, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, pomegranates, etc. But apples, cherries, grapefruit, oranges all work as well. As far as vegetables go, broccoli, onions, scallions, tomatoes, arugula, bell peppers, carrots, cabbage, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms and spinach are all great. Most nuts and seeds are highly anti-inflammatory. Fresh, raw (not roasted) and unsalted are best. Almonds, walnuts, macadamia, sesame seeds and flaxseed are all highly anti-inflammatory. Fish, especially cold-water fish, is highly anti-inflammatory. This is especially due to the high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in fish which are highly anti-inflammatory. Wild salmon is probably the ideal anti-inflammatory food, across the board. In addition to high levels of omega 3 fatty acids, wild salmon owes it's pink color to a powerful carotenoid antioxidant called astaxanthin, which adds to salmon's anti-inflammatory effect. For my favorite source of wild salmon, please click here. Other great fish includes flounder, sole, tilapia and tuna. Important Note: Please avoid eating farmed salmon. Restaurants often call this Atlantic salmon to trick you into thinking it comes wild. In fact, it is just farmed in the Atlantic. Farmed salmon is not only lacking in essential omega-3 fatty acids, it is extremely high in a very pro-inflammatory compound called "arachidonic acid." The lack of omega-3's and the excess amounts of arachidonic acid make farmed Atlantic salmon worse than most foods in terms of aging. So, only eat wild salmon, which feed off algae and are high in omega-3 fatty acids and have no significant amount of arachidonic acid. Many herbs and spices are highly anti-inflammatory. These include basil, black pepper, cardamom, chives, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, ginger, parsley and turmeric. Green tea dark chocolate (>70% cocoa) eggwhites plain, nonfat yogurt also has a nice anti-inflammatory effect.