EXERCISE & NUTRITION

FREE RADICAL DAMAGE…ANTIOXIDANT PROTECTION

THE ROLE OF “WHOLE FOOD” NUTRITION

Exercise is an essential part of maintaining good health and performance.

A diet containing “Whole Foods”, in particular fresh, raw fruits & vegetables, is essential to support an exercise programme and to achieve optimal results.

Nutrition is 80 % of the Health equation. It contributes the building blocks & fuel to support the Exercise.

Exercise is 20 % of the health equation and contributes the physical activity that delivers and utalises the nutrition & oxygen to stimulate the body to strengthen, perform & sustain health.

“Although it’s very beneficial, exercise does produce Free Radicals (oxidative stress),” says Jennifer Sacheck, PhD, cell biologist at Harvard Medical School and a researcher on exercise induced oxidative stress. “And if there’s any damage to muscles, inflammation also produces Free Radicals. Antioxidants are the bodies defence system against Free Radical damage”

FREE RADICALS

Free Radicals are highly reactive, unstable atoms or molecules.

Science shows that Free Radicals are directly linked to over 60 diseases and the ageing process.

They damage cell membranes, alter and destroy DNA, reduce the immune system, accelerate ageing and cause cell death.

ANTIOXIDANTS

Antioxidants are Free Radical scavengers. They are an important group of vitamins, minerals & enzymes that protect the body by destroying or neutralising the Free Radicals.

“As we exercise and age, the body produces more Free Radicals and fewer natural Antioxidants to fight them. You’d have to eat two heads of spinach a day to get enough vitamin E to be protective.

Whole Food” fresh, raw fruits and vegetables are the key source of natural Antioxidants — especially as you get older and if you exercise.”

EXERCISE & OXYGEN

Increased Oxygen intake during exercise leads to increased oxidation (Free Radical production and damage). This makes the body more vulnerable to damage, fatigue, inflammation, muscle soreness, slow recovery, injury and disease. Antioxidants prevent this Free Radical Damage.

DAMAGE & FATIGUE

Free Radical attack on a muscle. Ligament, cartage, bone etc will cause damage, fatigue and inhibit performance.

INFLAMMATION

Free Radicals create inflammation and are greatest twenty-four hours after a strenuous exercise session. This results in slow recovery.

Antioxidants play a major role in preventing the damage and inflammation and assist in a quicker recovery.

ANTIOXIDANT

Antioxidant means “against oxidation.”

Antioxidants are manufactured within the body from the food we eat.

The key source of “Whole Food” Antioxidants is Fresh, Raw Fruits & Vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts and good quality essential fatty acids.

“WHOLE FOOD”

Science shows that the 1000’s of vitamin and minerals and Antioxidants from “whole food” fresh, raw fruits and vegetables, or “Whole Food” concentrates are safer and far more effective than isolated, synthetic, man made supplements.

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION recommends we eat a minimum of 5 – 9+

Cups of Varied, Quality Fresh, Raw, Fruits & Vegetables every day (more if

training hard) to provide Antioxidant, Free Radical Protection, prevent disease,

boost the immune system and slow the effects of ageing.

This high level of fruit and vegetables consumption is very difficult for most people to achieve.

Soil depletion, chemicals and pesticides, gassing, cold storage and over processing is impacting on our food quality. Plus we are often too busy and too tired to eat them, we don’t really like some of them, we only eat our favourites and we can’t get the variety all year round.

“WHOLE FOOD” Concentrated forms of Nutrition can help to solve this problem.

REFERENCES

1. Acworth, I.N., and B. Bailey. Reactive Oxygen Species. In: The handbook of oxidative metabolism. Massachusetts: ESA Inc., 1997, p. 1-1 to 4-4.
2. Alessio, H.M., and E.R. Blasi. Physical activity as a natural antioxidant booster and its effect on a healthy lifestyle. Res. Q. Exerc. Sport. 68 (4): 292-302, 1997. [Abstract]
3. Clarkson P. M. Antioxidants and physical performance. Crit.Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 35: 131-141, 1995. [Abstract]
4. Dekkers, J. C., L. J. P. van Doornen, and Han C. G. Kemper. The Role of Antioxidant Vitamins and Enzymes in the Prevention of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage. Sports Med 21: 213-238, 1996. [Abstract

The Powerful Relationship between Nutrition, Mental Health and Depression

If you are feeling stressed, tired and lethargic, uninspired, moody, scrambled, irritable, anxious, depressed (on or off medication) or mentally challenged in any way, it is time to review the foundation of mental health: your nutrition.

More than 1 in 6 people suffer from mental health challenges and depression? Depression is expected to be the second leading cause of disability for people of all ages by 2020. About 66 percent of all suicides are caused by this depressive disorder.

Depression is not simply “the blues” or a “bad hair day”. Depression is a whole-body illness—it involves the body, nervous system, moods, thoughts, and behaviour. It affects the way we eat and sleep, the way we feel about ourselves, and the way we react to and think about the people and things around us.

Symptoms of depression include fatigue, sleep disturbances (either insomnia or excessive sleeping), changes in appetite, headaches, backaches, digestive disorders, restlessness, irritability, mood swings, quickness to anger, loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies, and feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy.

Depression may be triggered by tension, stress, a traumatic life event, nutritional deficiencies, poor diet, the consumption of sugar and fat, lack of exercise, chemical imbalances in the brain, thyroid disorders, upset stomach, headache, any serious physical disorder, or allergies. One of the most common causes of depression is food allergies. Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) is another common cause of depression.

Life will always present us with many emotional challenges. We just need to understand how we can stay mentally and physically strong and survive them. Nutrition plays a foundational and powerful role in this regard.

Our quality of mental and physical health is an “Inside Story” and is nutrition based. We must understand how to nourish ourselves every day at a cellular level to help stabilise mental health issues.

Most people know “What” to do…drink water, eat fruits and veggies, cut out sugar, fat and junk food, exercise and relax etc But when it comes to the “why” should we do this and “how” to put it all together for their age, health issue and activity level etc, that is where they struggle.

The key is knowing how to put the right foods in, at the right time of the day, in the right amounts. It is the “how” and the “why” that makes the real difference to mental and physical health.

Through out her presentations Helen Frost presents the positive nutritional and lifestyle strategies that can help to lift the “dark cloud” on mental health issues and depression.

You will learn…

* Which liquid has the highest brain energy conducting power?

* How much protein you need each meal to help to stabilise brain chemicals,

sugar and mood levels?

* Which essential fats and oils help regulate moods and improve mental clarity?

* The role carbohydrates play in boosting brain function?

* How coffee, tea, soft drinks, diet foods, sugar, salt, fat, additives and processed

foods negatively affect the chemical balance of the brain?

* The damage that the free radicals from our diet and lifestyle do to brain cells?

* What happens to your brain and body if you don’t have good nutrition?

Friendly Bacteria

The FRIENDLY BACTERIA in Juice Plus+ Complete are the Lactobacilli. They improve the balance of Micro flora in the intestine and they act as a protective barrier to prevent absorption of toxic compounds. They produce Vitamins, Immune – Enhancing compounds and Natural Antibiotic substances called Bacteriocins, which prevent the overgrowth of Yeasts and Pathogenic Bacteria. They also produce Lactic Acid, which lowers the pH of the Colon and helps Prevent Cancer.

Green Super Foods

The ENERGY OF THE SUN is harnessed in Juice Plus+ Complete by the inclusion of Spirulina which was the original food on our planet and the first Photosynthetic Bioform designed by nature 3.6 billion years ago. It is a Super Food, harnessing Oxygen through its high content of Chlorophyll, a molecule similar to Haemoglobin the carrier of Iron that supports the Blood of Life.

It is rich in Protein and Amino Acids, Vitamins, Colloidal Minerals, highly Bioavailable Iron and Essential Fatty Acids, especially Gamma Linoleic acid. It is high in Carotenoids and Enzymes and has many Immune Enhancing effects and it improves the growth of Lactobacilli in the Gut.  Wheat grass is another Green Super Food included in JP+ COMPLETE that has renowned Health Benefits and these Greens complement the Synergy of Fruits and Vegetables in the JP+ Complete.

Sea Vegetables such as Kelp provide a Natural Source of Iodine and many Bio-available Minerals to support Metabolism.