Health Foods Blog

Visit enough health food stores and read enough literature on diet and nutrition and you’re almost guaranteed to read about oxidative stress. It’s a new buzzword for nutritionists and it’s also being used by health food companies to sell products. So, what is oxidative stress?

Oxidative stress is a condition in our body which occurs when the available supply of the body’s antioxidants is insufficient to handle and neutralize free radicals (highly unstable molecules that lead to the creation of abnormal cells) of different types.

There is a new study conducted by USDA scientists that was published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (Volume 26, No. 2, 170-181, 2007) that concludes that eating wild blueberries and other antioxidant-rich foods at every meal helps prevent oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is linked to chronic diseases and aging. Perhaps, more interesting is that the study also concludes that the timing of when the foods are consumed are almost as important as when they are consumed.

And for the Atkins Diet fans:

Eating a meal with no antioxidants or just carbohydrates, fat or protein actually lowers the antoxidants levels and causes oxidative stress