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One major benefit of these SuperFruits is their anti-aging properties. Aging is presumed to be the result of oxidation of the body, an effect comparable to the oxidation of iron turning it to rust. This oxidation in the human body is caused by buildup of toxins or free radicals. Our body fends off aging by throwing off these free radicals. There are foods that are helpful in this process, some more than others are. How do we know which foods work the best?

A group of scientists came up with a score that they figured how to measure at a place called Brunswick Laboratories in Massachusetts. It is called the ORAC score. It measures a food’s Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC). If a fruit has super strength in eliminating those oxygen radical villains wreaking havoc in our bodies causing it to age, the ORAC test will find out.

So who be these personalities fighting for favor in the SuperFruit field?

Enter great Morinda Citrufolia, Mengkudu Mulberry, Tahitian Noni, or what is commonly called just Noni. The noni fruit hails from Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean area. Introduced as a juice, it has a bitter taste. Also sold in capsule form, people take it for its many health claims. It has an ORAC score of 4,500 per 100g.

Lycium Barbarum, Chinese Wolfberry, or Goji has been used in China for thousands of years but we are just learning about it here in the United States. It has an ORAC score of 25,300 per 100g.

Mangosteen from Thailand and the Philippines has ORAC of 12,000 per 100g.

From the Brazilian Rain Forest comes the Acai Berry. It has been made popular by Dr. Oz and Dr. Perricone on the Oprah Winfrey show. Its ORAC is 16,700 per 100g.

The Chilean Wine Berry or Patagonian Maqui Berry has the highest ORAC of any fruit or berry at 27,600 per 100g.

*But wait… there are fruits who have been with us all along who also pack a super punch. They are:

Blueberry – ORAC score 6,500 per 100g

Black Raspberries – ORAC score 7,700 per 100g

Prunes – ORAC score 5,770 per 100g

Pomegranate – ORAC score 10,500 per 100g

These ORAC scores are not written in stone. Many things can influence them, like the environment, when and where they were grown, and the way the testing samples were harvested and processed. Dried fruit is more concentrated and will test higher than non-dried fruit. Also, if a sample is brought in to the lab spiked with vitamin C, that will spike the ORAC score.

Here is some food for thought to those who wish to eat well to live well. A fruit’s dark color is a giveaway to its identity of having high ORAC (Cacao counts big), and other than the rogue poisonous berries in the yard (warn the kids)… all fruits are SUPER! Especially if you have them working for you as a league!

The US Department of Agriculture recommends people consume 5,000 ORAC units every day and that happens to be the most that your body can utilize in a day. 5,000 units is still up, up, and away five times more than an average 80% of us get. Most of us do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. To the few 20% who do… “YOU’RE SUPER!”

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Gluten is a protein in grains such as wheat, barley, rye, kamut, spelt, and triticale. Some people do not tolerate gluten well and this can cause an autoimmune disorder called celiac disease. The gluten can cause the villi of the small intestine to become damaged or atrophied. The result is that important health giving nutrients are not well absorbed by the small intestine and pass out of the body without providing benefit.

Symptoms of celiac disease vary widely and may include vitamin and mineral deficiency diseases, fatigue, anemia, osteoporosis, ulcers, and diarrhea. As a result of the wide variety of possible symptoms, diagnosing celiac disease can be difficult. One study indicated that in the United States one person out of 133 suffers from the disease, but due to the difficulty in diagnosing the disease the incidence rate may be much higher.

Another good reason for a person to eat a gluten free diet is that it is a very healthy diet. The diet forces a person to avoid processed convenience foods, sometimes called “junk” foods, because nearly all convenience foods contain wheat gluten of some kind. The diet also keeps a person from dining at fast food restaurants because most menu items at those restaurants contain gluten or are cross-contaminated with gluten containing cooking agents. So, just by avoiding convenience foods and fast food restaurants a person will be able to avoid a lot of excess calories, fats, and carbohydrates in their diets. And their gluten free diet will be substituting healthier foods in their place.

Among the foods to avoid are the numerous products made with wheat, barley, and rye. More specifically, this will preclude many cereals, breads, cakes, cookies, doughnuts, tortillas, beer, chips, many sauces, ketchup, hot dogs, many sausages, muffins, numerous snack foods, and ice cream. Also, some cosmetics such as lipstick and lip balm may contain gluten.

Fruits and vegetables are naturally gluten free, but the labels of any processed fruit and vegetable products should be checked to see if any gluten has been added. Unprocessed meats are also gluten free and fine for the diet. Flours made from potatoes, nuts, beans, rice, and buckwheat (which is not related to wheat) can be used in baked goods, including bread. Therefore, a person can still enjoy some tasty bakery item treats. As you can see, a gluten free diet can include a satisfying variety of foods and does not have to be a bland diet.

There are many cookbooks and resources on the Internet to help guide a person who has chosen to cook and eat gluten free meals. It’s a good, healthy choice, and many people have decided that it is the right way to go.

For my CrossFit and Paleo peeps… this is why we want you to avoid grains – it’s the gluten!

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Okay, so you know Vitamins and Minerals are important. Most every woman knows that.

However, not everyone understands WHY they are so important for their body. So I recently asked Registered Dietitian Jayson Hunter to give us the easy rundown on the Top Women’s Vitamins. Here’s what he had to say:

Vitamin A – This vitamin contributes to the health of you eyes, skin and nails.

Vitamim B – While B Vitamins are often referred to as “energy vitamins” they don’t actually give you a surge of energy, per se. What they actually do is help facilitate metabolic reaction in the body to create energy. They’re also necessary for a  healthy metabolism.

Vitamin C – This women’s vitamin is a great antioxidant and immune system booster. It also helps skin health.

Vitamin D – Helps women absorb calcium. And it may help prevent certain types of cancer.

calcium – It’s actually a mineral not a vitamin. And as most women know already, it improves bone density.

Pretty simple, right? But you can also see why it’s so important to understand vitamins for women. When we understand the reasons to make healthier choices it helps us make them.

Now, I get asked all the time by women which vitamin supplements, if any, they need to be taking. Great question.

Well, if your nutrition is 100% perfect all the time then you probbaly don’t need to take any.

But that’s not the case for most women. Most women are busy as heck and don’t always find the time for proper nutrition. So if that’s the case with you I recommend taking a Whole Foods based Multi-Vitamin. And the only one I recommend is Prograde Nutrition’s VGF 25+ for Women.

It’s actually really cool because it’s literally made from 25 veggies, greens and fruits. You should definitely check out Prograde’s Womens Vitamins.  At the very top of the page is the list of ingredients. You can see the 25 whole foods they use to make VGF 25+ for Women.

Make it a great day!

/Richard

It starts at 11am and lasts for an hour. Get the details below.

http://crossfitbirmingham.ning.com/events/rigorous-nutrition-101