Timing of Antioxidant Vital to Reducing Oxidative Stress after Meals

Eating a good meal can be one of the most enjoyable events of the day. A good meal with a good friend can erase the stresses of the day, at least for an hour. The news about food just got better.

According to published research in the December 2007 issue of Journal of the American College for Nutrition, the consumption of antioxidant-rich foods, fruits and berries, help to reduce oxidative stress on the body after meals. Oxidative-stress has been associated with and linked to inflammation in the body, Alzheimer's, arthritis and cardiovascular disease.

Meals eaten without antioxidants actually increased oxidative stress on the body. The reason is the antioxidants are abundant in the blood to fight the free radicals causing the oxidative stress the body experiences after eating a meal.

According to published research in the December 2007 issue of Journal of the American College for Nutrition, certain antioxidant-rich foods can help to increase hydrophilic (water-soluble) or lipophilic (fat soluble) antioxidants as measured by Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC). Some of the foods included in the research were wild blueberries, cherries, mixed grapes, kiwifruit dried plums and dried plum juice.

Ron Prior, the lead author of the study indicated the research "demonstrated that consumption of certain berries and fruit such as blueberries, mixed grape and kiwifruit, was associated with increased plasma AOC in the postprandial state and consumption of an energy source of macronutrients containing no antioxidants was associated with a decline in plasma AOC".

The results of the blueberries were among the best foods tested when it came to increasing both hydrophilic AOC and lipophilic AOC. Athough a number of foods increase one compound or the other, the blueberries increased them both.

In addition, Mr. Prior wrote "It's not just what you eat but when you eat it that matters. Phytochemicals in foods have varying degrees of bioavailability and generally are cleared from the blood 2-4 hours after they are eaten." He also added, "It takes about 2.5 servings of antioxidants containing fruits and/or vegetables in a meal… to prevent oxidative stress following the meal. The more calories you take in the dietary antioxidants you need."

To help your body to fight oxidative stress after a meal, you should incorporate fruits, vegetables and grains into every meal to get the ORAC levels your body needs. You can incorporate fresh fruits including blueberries, cherries and kiwifruit with every meal. Another option is the keep a bag of dried fruit in your office drawer. Dried fruit gives you the flexibility of enjoying the fruit without the worry of the seasonality of the underlying fruit.

However, if you can't get fresh fruit or dried fruit, you may want to consider getting your fruit-based antioxidants from super fruit supplements. Super fruit supplements deliver the antioxidant benefits of the underlying super fruit. For example, Fruit Advantage Wild Blueberry capsules available from Traverse Bay Farms http://www.traversebayfarms.com deliver the antioxidant benefits of over ½ cup of fresh wild blueberries in each daily serving.

The next time you find yourself enjoy a meal, make sure to incorporate some grain, fruit or vegetables on your plate. Or, if you find it hard to consistently get fresh fruit, try some Fruit Advantage Wild Blueberry super fruit capsules.

Article Source: http://www.rightbiz.com

Ms. Jackson is a natural health writer. She specializes in natural remedies. Download a free copy of the Super Fruit Handbook at www.superfruithandbook.com Learn about cherries and gout visit www.traversebayfarms.com

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