How to Get “The Boss” of All Antioxidants (Hint: It’s Not in Food)

If you were ask most people who are into eating healthy to make a list of antioxidants, most would say vitamins C, A and E as well as beta carotene. However, if you asked them to name the most powerful antioxidant, they most likely wouldn’t know. It’s understandable because this particular antioxidant can not be found in food, is destroyed easily in the digestive track so supplementation is pretty much worthless, and most doctor’s are unaware of it.

I’m talking about “The Boss” of all antioxidants and its name is glutathione. If a gold fish represented the common antioxidant, a shark would be glutathione! Not only is it a powerful antioxidant, but it also recycles other antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, that have been damaged by free radicals.

Today, many health-minded people know or are aware of the benefits of body detoxification. Increasing your glutathione output is how the body does it.

Because glutathione isn’t found in food, how do we acquire this amazing molecule? Well, fortunately, our bodies make it. The downside is that poor diet, toxins, pollution, medications, radiation, and stress can deplete it severely. Any individual battling a chronic illness, such as cancer, any autoimmune disorder, autism, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or heart disease, suffers from a decrease in glutathione. This is why the treatment, recovery and prevention of most of these illnesses starts with glutathione.

Glutathione also is a major player in detoxifying the body. Glutathione actually binds to toxins and pollutants rendering them harmless while the body naturally sends it on out through the digestive track. Lastly, optimal levels of glutathione have been shown to shift body metabolism from a fat storage producer to a muscle developer. This can have a major impact on muscle development, decreased muscle damage, increased strength and endurance, and decreased recovery time.

Here is what you can do to keep your glutathione levels high.

First step is through diet. However, because we can’t ingest glutathione directly — stomach acid destroys it — we need to eat foods that help our bodies stimulate it. Here is what I recommend to get those levels up!

1)      1) Various organ and red meat!

a.       Contrary to popular belief that red meat is bad for you, nothing could be further from the truth. When it comes to regenerating glutathione, these two bad boys are king! Both have a high amount of another powerful antioxidant called Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), which is an essential fatty acid that helps regenerate glutathione.

2)      2) Whey protein.

a.       This is a great glutathione precursor. You must buy one that is labeled “bio-active” or “bio-available,” which does not contain denatured proteins. A non-pasteurized form should be fine. Contact me, and I can recommend a good one.

3)      3) Uncooked fruits and vegetables.

a.       Sulfur-rich foods are best, such as garlic, onions, cruciferous foods (broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts), asparagus and spinach.

b.      Watermelon

c.       Walnuts

4)      4) Milk Thistle (Silymarin is a component).

a.       Helps prevent glutathione depletion

5)      5) Raw milk products, uncooked meat and eggs (runny yolks preferred).

Outside the diet realm, you can also increase your activity to increase glutathione. Light to moderate activity, such as walking, jogging and doing various activities three to four days a week for 20-30 minutes can boost the immune system and help your body to detoxify itself.