Glutathione

Glutathione, it's the most important molecule you need to stay healthy and prevent disease -- yet we've barely heard of it. It's the secret to prevent aging, cancer, heart disease, dementia and more, and necessary to treat everything from autism to Alzheimer's disease. GLUTATHIONE (pronounced "gloota-thigh-own") is the mother of all antioxidants, the master detoxifier and boosts the immune system.

The good news is that your body produces its own glutathione. The bad news is that poor diet, pollution, toxins, medications, stress, trauma, aging, infections and radiation all deplete your glutathione. This leaves you susceptible to cell disintegration from oxidative stress, free radicals, infections and cancer. Remember that your cells are what you are made of: a healthy cell makes a healthy body. Your liver gets overloaded and damaged, making it unable to do its job of detoxification.

Glutathione is a very simple molecule that is produced naturally all the time in your body. It is a combination of three simple building blocks of protein or amino acids -- cysteine, glycine and glutamine. The sulfur in the glutathione is very sticky and acts like fly paper. All the bad things in the body stick onto it, including free radicals (the bad guys) and toxins like mercury and other heavy metals. Normally Glutathione is recycled in the body, except when the toxic load becomes too great. In our world today we are poisoning ourselves and eating a processed, nutrient-depleted diet that our natural glutathione can't keep up with. However, there are things you can do. You can eat glutathione-boosting foods, you can exercise, and you can take glutathione-boosting supplements.

Glutathione-boosting foods are the sulfur-rich foods, like garlic, onions, broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage cauliflower, watercress, and all cruciferous vegetables. (hummmm, how many of these are in Juice Plus?)

Exercise boosts glutathione levels, which boosts your immune system, improves detoxification and enhances your body's own antioxidant defenses. Start slow and build up to a 30 minute a day aerobic exercise like walking or jogging. Strength training for 20 minutes, 3 times a week is also helpful. In other words, MOVE YOUR BODY often!

You would think that it would be easy to just take a glutathione pill, but the body digests protein, so you can't get the benefits of Glutathione that way. However, the production and recycling of glutathione in the body requires many different nutrients and you CAN take these.....or EAT these. Eating or taking a whole food supplement every day consistently is key. Your body likes consistentcy, I can't stress that enough!

Folate and Vitamins B6 and B12 are critical to keeping the body producing glutathione. These are found in a balanced diet. For a vegetarian especially, adding B12 supplement may be a good idea. (B-12 is found in Juice Plus Complete)  Selenium is an important mineral that helps the body recycle and produce more glutathione. Antioxidants including vitamins C and E (in the form of mixed tocopherols), work together to recycle glutathione. These work best in the body in the form of whole foods. An isolated vitamin in pill form (like A, B, C, D, etc) is a good idea for a boost if you are lacking in that nutrient. However, your body does best when it is in the whole food form. When you eat the whole food you are getting the right amount of those vitamins every time, in the doses God intended. The herb, Milk thistle, has long been used in liver disease and helps boost glutathione levels.

"Balanced diet" keeps popping up, doesn't it? Be consistent with your healthy eating and exercise and your body will not just survive, it will thrive!

An easy, effective answer for a whole food supplement is Juice Plus+. I have used it for over 15 years and feel the benefits of it every day. www.gale4.juiceplus.com