Free Radical Raiders vs. the Antioxidant Giants

Giants vs. Raiders.  East vs. West.  But we we aren’t talking Eli Manning and Darren McFadden.  This is about an internal struggle you should know about. 

In our last post, we talked about how we need vitamins and minerals to stay healthy, grow, convert food to energy, defend against infection, and stay sharp and strong.  But another thing they do is act as powerful antioxidants.  We all hear that word all the time and we know it must mean something good because products promote how much they have of it!! 

The antioxidants are our Giants.  A proud team with a history of winning.  In your body, they are the enzymes that round up those nasty Free Radical Raiders and keep them from scoring – they neutralize them.  The Free Radical Raiders are mean, tough, and destructive (sound familiar?).  In your body, they are the unstable oxygen atoms that cause damage to your cells.  They are missing an electron from a pair and go around robbing other atoms creating more radicals.  Picture a large senior prom where everyone has a date but then a bunch of lonesome (yet handsome) singles crash the party and start stealing everyone’s dates.  Chaos ensues! 

In our body, free radicals are created through natural processes and by the effects of chemicals and toxins like cigarette smoke or air pollution.  If left to multiply and create chaos, they can lead to cancer and heart disease.  So it is a battle between Raiders and Giants. 

So let’s say this is happening in your body right now, and it is.  And lets say, for this example, you are the head coach of the Giants (sorry Oakland fans, we’ll make it up to you in some other post!).  You want to do everything you can to prepare your team to win.  You want to blow out the Free Radical Raiders and overwhelm them.  How do you do it?  With your Giants.  And to bring us back to our last post, your Giants are vitamins and minerals – especially Vitamin C, A, E, beta carotene, and selenium.  Eat those fruits and veggies!

Here are some Fantasy Healthball recommended foods high in antioxidant Giants:  berries (cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberry, strawberry, etc.), broccoli, tomatoes, red grapes, garlic, spinach, tea, carrots, soy, whole grains, beans (red kidney, pinto, black, etc.) artichokes, prunes, apples, nuts (pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.), cherries, plums, russet potatoes, grapefruit, oranges, cabbage, kale, peppers, beets, Brussels sprouts, barley, millet, oats, corn, raisins, and more.   Like any of those?  Work them into your diet.  And you’ll defeat those Radical Raiders.  Go get ‘em!   – Jim  Ballard

Sugar on Steriods – the Artificial Sweetener Story

Okay, let’s start off with a Fantasy Healthball poll:

  

 Even if you checked “none of the above,” you may unknowingly be getting some of these products in food or drinks you consume on a regular basis.  Or you may know these by other names – Nutrasweet and Equal are “aspartame” and Splenda is “sucralose.”  Aspartame can be found in soft drinks, sugar-free chewing gum, yogurt, lemonade, and thousands of other foods and drinks.  Sucralose is in candy, breakfast bars, soft drinks, and thousands of other foods and drinks.

We call these sweeteners “sugar on steriods.”  Sucralose is about 600 times as sweet as table sugar.  It is about twice as sweet as saccharin or Stevia, over three times as sweet as aspartame, and four times as sweet as a yellow lab puppy.  Now that is sweet!

Stevia is the rookie joining the veteran artificial sweeteners.  Click here to watch a really good two minute video that recently popped up on our health news feeds on our blog.  Here is the article that goes with it.  The video says that artificial sweeteners may actually lead to weight gain.  It says, “When your body takes in something sweet, your metabolism revs up to start burning off the calories that usually follow.  But when the calories just aren’t there, your body could get confused and the next time you take in real sugar that metabolic response may not kick in.”  “The study seems to explain why some of the heaviest consumers of artificial sweeteners are some of the heaviest Americans.”

But the report points out it is just one study.  And there have been tons of studies on these products.  The FDA must approve these before they are sold in the US so all of these products have been deemed safe by the FDA.  But the studies continue.  Aspartame, for example, if you believe like I do that Wikipedia is the source of all the universe’s knowledge, was discovered in 1965 but there was worry it caused cancer in rats but it was finally approved in dry goods in the 1980s and for all foods in 1996.  But even 10 years later, one study still concluded its toxicity increased several malignancies of rats.  One rebuttal to the study said the researchers misdiagnosed lesions as malignancies.  I guess one man’s malignancy is another man’s lesion. 

With all that confusion and noise out there, here is some Fantasy Healthball logic for you:  Americans consume way too much sugar.  So what do we do when we realize that?  We make chemical sugar that is hundreds of times sweeter and market it to people who want to lose weight and have good health!  How about this crazy idea:  let’s just eat less sugar. 

Here at Fantasy Healthball, we can’t guarantee that if you consume lots of artificial sweeteners you will be safe or unsafe.  We think the jury is still out on these products and it can take decades to know their true effects with certainty.  Will you be perfectly safe?  Will you get cancer?  Will you grow a waddle and cluck like a chicken?  We don’t know. 

But what we DO KNOW is that it is healthier to keep sugar and artificial sweeteners to a minimum in your diet.  Drinking pure, filtered water gets you a refreshing drink without artificial anything.  We also suggest low or non fat milk, soy milk, 100% fruit juice (we love orange and apple), vegetable juice, tea, and our top scientists here at Fantasy Healthball (okay, it is me) are starting to look into Miller’s new 64 calorie beer, hmmmmm, more on that to come.  — Jim Ballard

Avoidable Tragedy

Our local Fire Chief always says, “If we can anticipate it, we can prevent it.”  That rings so true with me.  If we know something is likely to be a problem, we can overcome it with a little foresight and follow through.  Can we manage wildlands around residential areas so that when a wildfire starts it does not devastate homes?  Of course we can, but it takes a lot of will and personal commitment by home owners. 
What does all this have to do with Fantasy Healthball?  I believe the same principle holds true when it comes to your health.  You can anticipate the wildfire of health problems related to weight and obesity.  They come by names such as “heart disease,” “type 2 diabetes,” “cancer,” “reduced life expectancy,” “stroke,” “depression,” “high blood pressure,” “osteoarthritis” and the like.  Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide.  Can you believe that?  We are not talking bubonic plague, we are talking body weight.  Genetics play a role here, but diet (poor) and exercise (lack thereof) are the real killers here.  So can we protect the residential areas (our bodies) so that when a wildfire starts (poor diet, sedentary lifestyle), it does not devastate us?  Of course we can, but it takes a lot of will and personal commitment by you. 

That is what Fantasy Healthball is all about.  A community of like-minded (read:  football fans) individuals committed to helping ourselves and helping others live healthy lifestyles so that we can live long, full lives and never have to deal with personal tragedies like those listed above. 
So maybe this isn’t a problem for you, but do you know someone you can help?  Is there anyone in your life that is overweight/obese that could use your support?  You can help them by planning healthy activities with them, go for hikes, bike riding, swimming, plan healthy meals, turn them on to Fantasy Healthball or other great health programs.  Since 2/3rds of Americans are overweight or obese, we all have loved ones that we can help with a new attitude of health.  If we can anticipate it, we can prevent it.  Do something TODAY to help yourself or another person live a healthier life.  – Jim Ballard

Live a Longer Life – The Basics

I’m home today with a sick little girl who has a fever and nasty cough.  I found myself slaving away at the laptop working virtually as if I were in the office.  I can see my work email, my files, etc.  Then, a particularly wise colleague sent me an email and added on to the end, “Hope she gets better! There’s always something wonderful, though, about spending that time with a sick child, in terms of just plain having time together.”

So, of course, I got off the computer and joined her on the couch.  He’s right.  She was dull eyed a a bit out of it as we watched Clifford the Big Red dog.  With two kids and a busy life, we don’t often just get to sit down, the two of us only, and watch the Big Red dog, or Sid the Science Kid for that matter. 

So she is napping now and I go out to the mailbox and get my Kaiser Permanente Personal Wellness Profile based on a health fair at work a couple weeks ago.  I review my scores from the blood screen, blood pressure, other tests, and self-reported info.  I score good to excellent on all categories:  coronary risk, cancer risk, nutrition status, fitness status, stress status, substance abuse, and safety status.  But this doesn’t surprise me because I have been playing Fantasy Healthball for a couple years now and I feel in top shape.  All those daily challenges in Fantasy Healthball add up over the days, weeks, months, to scores like I am looking at now in my Wellness Profile. 

But here is what DOES surprise me.  It says, “Current Age:  40, Your Health Age is 33.5 (your age based on health practices).”  It goes on, “You can expect to enjoy five to six years of added life, longer than the average person, because of your healthy lifestyle.  Congratulations!”  Wow.  Now that really hits home.  Five or six years!  I think back to the morning and that cherished time with my daughter.  That is what Fantasy Healthball is all about.  Be kind to your body, do the right things, and live a longer, happier life.  Join us today if you haven’t yet.  — Jim Ballard