Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Antioxidant Capsules Sound Icky? Use Antioxidant Lotion Instead

Swallowing tons of antioxidant capsules can be unappealing, no matter how good they are for your health.

Luckily, if you can't stand popping a bunch of pills you can still get an antioxidant boost by using an antioxidant-rich lotion.

It turns out that 25-30% of our innate immune system is contained in our skin cells, so when you nourish and protect your skin you also boost your immunity.

That's a pretty simple solution for immune health. As a bonus, your skin will also look smooth and healthy.

Which Antioxidants Do You Need?
Antioxidants, which are beneficial substances that protect our bodies from damaging molecules, come in a variety of forms. To get the most effective protection from topical antioxidants, look for lotions and creams that have a variety of antioxidants.

For instance, here are some beneficial antioxidants:
  • Beta-glucan: supports skin health that is exposed to UV light, increases skin elasticity, supports DNA health
  • Coenzyme Q10: increases blood supply to the skin, decreases the look of fine lines and wrinkles, and boosts skin elasticity
  • Beta-carotene: supports blood supply to the skin
  • Vitamins C and E: Boosts skin elasticity, smoothes rough skin, supports DNA health
If you plan to use lotion as one of your main sources of antioxidant support, look for topical creams and salves that contain a broad spectrum of these kinds of antioxidants.

One of my personal favorites is this antioxidant lotion. This lotion contains WGP beta-glucan, vitamin E, beta-carotene and more, all in a whole-food form.

Want to know more? Read more about the vitamins and minerals that support skin health and total body health:

7 Vitamins for Great-Looking Skin from the Inside Out
Minerals for Great-Looking Skin from the Inside Out

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunshinecity/786584004/

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

How to Get Runner's High Without All the Sweat

If you're not an exercise fanatic then chances are that hearing an avid runner talk about his "runner's high" can be a real downer. True, the runner's high part sounds like great fun, but boy does it take a lot of work, unless ... you go straight for the molecule that causes runner's high, without all that silly running!

What the Heck is Runner's High Anyway?

Dedicated exercisers have described runner's high as a sensation of "floating" or "being free" or simply feeling "very happy." According to Daniel DeNoon in his article 'Is Runner's High a Cure for Depression?" this sensation is caused by phenyl ethylamine (PEA). It's a compound found in a very high concentration in chocolate (explains bingeing on chocolate, doesn't it?).

DeNoon says that PEA "is a natural stimulant produced by the body. It is related to amphetamines but without the long-lasting potentially dangerous effects." Wow, talk about a clean and legal "high." Runners have long had access to this legal high but now people not so fond of sweating can get it, too, since the cause of 'runner's high' is a natural compound.

On the flip side of the coin, studies show that depressed people tend to have low levels of PEA. This explains why exercise can have an anti-depressant action.

What's exciting about this discovery is that now people can get the mood support they need without all the grunting, sweating, and exercising. Says Hector Sabelli, MD, "If you give PEA to people with depression, about 60% show an immediate recovery--very fast, a matter of half an hour."

So where can you get some PEA for mood support when you've got the blue meanies?

Foods Rich in PEA for Mood Support
The two foods most noticeably rich in PEA are chocolate (no surprise there) and AFA blue-green algae. Author and researcher Michael Liebowitz, author of the popular 1983 book "The Chemistry of Love," stated that chocolate is loaded with PEA, which started a media flurry about the food. No doubt eating chocolate helps many people with mood, but chocolate has some unfortunate fatty side effects.

AFA blue-green algae is another rich source of PEA, and can help support one's mood without the side effects of weight gain or chocolate addiction! Some studies show that the PEA in blue-green algae is highly bioavailable, making it easy for the body to absorb and use. Plus, blue green algae comes in convenient capsule form, so you can get some mood support in just a single gulp. In short, AFA blue-green algae gives you the PEA boost without the sugar and guilt of chocolate!

There are also many forms of encapsulated PEA available on the market, however, studies show that PEA, by itself, is quickly metabolized in the body and thus doesn't reach the brain, where it can provide mood support.

So your two best options for a PEA kick in the pants are chocolate and AFA blue green algae. Go for both if you feel like it ... or choose the one that fits your diet plan best!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.

Photo credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lululemonathletica/3438348387/

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Swallowing Sunlight and Other Goodies

Being an avid consumer of AFA blue-green algae, I'm always interested in learning more about this incredible superfood, even though I already know so much about it. I am constantly amazed at what I discover.

For instance, just the other day I read that chlorophyll, a substance that is very dense in blue-green algae, is an invention of nature that allows organisms to capture sunlight and convert it to usable sugars and foods, which we humans need in our diet.

Swallowing Sunlight and Happy Moods
So basically, when I swallow a few capsules of blue-green algae, I am swallowing a little chunk of sunlight. True, chlorophyll converts that sunlight so that I am not actually swallowing light molecules, but I am swallowing a bunch of stuff that my body needs, including amino acids, sugars, vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals.

There are also parallels between the effects of being exposed to sunlight and the effects of eating blue-green algae. Many people, when exposed to natural sunlight, report that they are in a better mood, and that their nerves are soothed. This is because exposure to sunlight increases the production of endorphins and serotonin in the brain.

A similar effect is created when you swallow a capsule or two of blue-green algae. This algae is a strong source of phenylalanine, an amino acid that crosses the blood-brain barrier faster than any other amino acid. Once in the brain, phenylalanine acts as a precursor to tyrosine and other mood-elevating substances.

Voila! Swallow some sunlight in the form of blue-green algae and you end up in a better mood.

Bluegreen algae is also rich in trytophan, which has been shown to elevate mood, but only when accompanied by other vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Luckily, most of these are in the algae. Once trytophan arrives in the brain, it increases both endorphin and serotonin activity ... just like sunlight!

So swallowing blue-green algae is like swallowing sunlight, just without all the side effects like skin cancer, sun burn, and other skin nasties!

Gotta Lotta Nutrition in a Single Capsule
In addition to being an excellent source of mood elevation, AFA blue-green algae is also plain down-home good nutrition that happens to come in a capsule. Solomon and Passwater, in their book "The Next Generation of Superfoods," say, "... blue-green microalgae may be the most nutrient-dense food on earth."

That means when you swallow a capsule of bluegreen algae, you are getting a big nutritional bang for your buck. This is good news for those of us who try to eat right when we can, but sometimes fall a little short of the goal line. Taking blue-green algae helps to cover all the nutritional bases in a very convenient form.

That sounds good to me ... a capsule of sunlight that also covers all the nutritional bases. Sound good to you?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products at wholesale prices on our website.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kyz/ / CC BY 2.0