Letter A!

Letter A!


Hi Everybody! It's time to start on our road to the Daily 26 with the letter A- this post is all about vitamins, antioxidants, phytonutrients and minerals that start with the letter A.


Ready? Let's go!


We'll start with vitamin A. It's a fat-soluble vitamin that's known to destroy carcinogens and prevent some forms of cancer. Essential for good eye, skin, and bone health, it counteracts night blindness and other eye disorders, including weak eyesight. This vitamin also strengthens the immune systems and gives it more resistance to infections and disease. One of the best souces of vitamin A is in beta-carotene, which is found in dark green and orange-yellow vegetables: spinach, broccoli, green peppers, carrots, squash and apricots.


Alpha-carotenes are antioxidants in the same family as beta-carotene, and also provide the body with vitamin A. As mentioned before, they protect your cells from free radical damage and strengthen the immune system. Deficiency of alpha-carotenes in your body can cause symptoms associated with vitamin A deficiency, and increase risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. In addition to the ones listed in the previous paragraph, eat foods such as collard greens, thyme, cantaloupe, tomatoes, green beans, apples, and avocados to prevent deficiency.


Astaxanthin (pronounced azz-tuck-ZAN-thin) is another antioxidant in the carotene family. Unlike some of the other carotenes, astaxanthin doesn't convert into vitamin A in the body. It's also not made in our bodies, so it must be provided in the diet. But before I get to the sources of astaxanthin, let me tell you about its benefits. It protects cells from oxidative damage, decreases DNA damage, and stimulates the immune system. It also prevents various cancers and tumors. Moroever, it increases strength and endurance, and this benefit is vividly illustrated by salmon swimming upstream to spawn-astaxanthin is what enables them to do so. Obviously, salmon is a source of astaxanthin, along with other pinkish aquatic creatures higher up in the food chain. Astaxanthin-rich red algae is eaten by smaller aquatic creatures such as krill and plankton, which are in turn eaten by the aforementioned higher animals.


You're probably getting tired of reading about all these nutrients, so let's take a quick break. I wanted to tell you about a book called The Optimal Health Revolution by Dr. Duke Johnson. It's a great read, about how there is one root cause to most/all of today's biggest diseases- persistent inflammation. Through the book, the author explains how many of today's diseases are caused, and how you can prevent them. He offers a 25-step plan that can lead you on your way to optimal health, with witty wisecracks and pieces of wisdom along the way. I really learned a lot from reading this book, and I encourage you to read this book. Really. Read it. READ IT!


OK. Back to our wonderful A-nutrients! There's just one more left.


Allyl sulfides are nutrients which block the growth of tumor cells, and also bring about the natural death of cells. They also help get cancer-causing chemicals out of your body, and so it's obvious that they lessen some types of cancer- namely, colon and stomach cancers. They help treat colds, blood circulation, and diabetes and also help reduce inflammation. (Optimal Health Revolution!) Allyl sulfides are found in garlic, onions, and shallots.


I hope you've enjoyed reading about all these wonderful nutrients that start with the letter A. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, or if I missed something/need to clarify something, please do email me. I'll be so glad to fix/answer/do whatever needs to be done.

See you next time, when we do the letter B!