Carotenoid Power!

So today we are going to talk about the power of a class of phytochemicals called Carotenoids. This class of phytochemicals is incredible and affect our entire body. Now you may be thinking to yourself "Carotenoids sounds a lot like carrots" and guess what - carrots are a great source of Carotenoids! Today we are going to go way beyond carrots and talk about some incredible sources and ways to get more of these antioxidant life-giving chemicals into your body. This blog is going to give a new meaning to flower power.

Lutein for the Eyes:

  • When we look at flowers or carrots and other amazing colorful things in nature we are staring at antioxidants and guess what - we are using them in our eyes to see. Now what do I mean by that? When we use our eyes they take on a lot of stress due to ultraviolet radiation, overuse of electronics, and sunglass wearing. The most prevalent antioxidant in nature to help support eye health is called lutein and its found in high concentrations in marigolds.
  • I recommend taking a lutein supplement that is derived from marigold and is at least 10mg daily.
  • This amount daily can help prevent things like macular degeneration and help keep the eyes seeing sharp as we age.

Astaxanthin for the whole body:

Next to flowers my next favorite way to get nutrition is from the ocean. Astaxanthin is a red pigmented algae that will change how your whole body responds to inflammatory conditions. Now there is a new term in health and it’s called inflammaging. This terminology means that new studies show that the health of the body itself is directly related to inflammatory responses in the body.

Astaxanthin at about 12mg a day can radically take care of inflammation in the body.

  • Joints
  • Muscles
  • Veins and arties
  • Eyes
  • All of these above can be improved through the daily use of this supplement.

One added benefit as well is that the antioxidant effect is so strong that a pale skin guy as myself can get away with sun exposure at a reduced risk of sunburn. The reason for this is astaxanthin gets embedded in the fatty parts of your skin acting like an internal shield to free radical damage from UV radiation.

Astaxanthin is one of my top supplements for anybody to take and I highly recommend you give it a shot

Carrots, Flowers, and Salmon oh my!:

Now foods sources for these nutrients are not only delicious but are loaded with these antioxidants. So below is a list of where you can get them if you don’t want to take a supplement.

  • Salmon
  • Carrots
  • Edible flowers
  • Spices like paprika, chili, and cayenne my favorite ;)
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Kale
  • Collard greens
  • Mustard greens

Who’s hungry? I know I am, and as long as we include at least 5 to 6 servings a week of the above foods we can meet our antioxidant quota for the week.

Conclusion:

I hope I have inspired you to look at flowers with keener vision. Next blog we are going to explore what inflammation is and how to control it in the body. Till next blog I hope you have a blessed week.