An intermediate substance very high in free radical activity is produced as a result of Phase one, and can be likened to a hopper at the end of the above conveyer belt, receiving the waste that has not yet been fully processed into its safest form.

Phase two of liver function has the job of converting this potentially damaging intermediate substance into a water-soluble form for safe elimination via the kidney. This can be likened to a fellow on a forklift picking up the contents of the hopper and mixing it with water to dilute and finally discharge it safely from the factory.

Under increased toxic exposure, Phase one speeds up whilst Phase two can slow down if certain critical plant based nutrients and amino acids are not present in adequate amounts to support it.

This can result in the intermediate substance overflowing into tissues and causing irritation and initiating the inflammatory process as tissue is damaged. At this point one may even feel “toxic”.

Anti-oxidants protect you from the free radicals generated from this liver stress to a degree. It would be better to reduce the amount of waste arriving on the conveyer belt of life in the first place by choosing healthy lifestyle options.

There are many anti-oxidants in nature. Many are Vitamins such as Vitamin A C and E. Others are in various forms like CoEnzyme Q10, OPC’s found in Grape seed, polysaccharides, Polyphenols found in Green tea and even cocoa contains different antioxidants. The most colorful fruits and vegetables have the most antioxidants. Berries therefore win hands down.

One thing in common is that anti oxidants are largely found in the plant kingdom and especially in fruits.

The latest way to determine the anti oxidant value of a food has been developed by the US Department of Agriculture and is called the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This is literally how well the food acts as a sponge to soak up the free radicals. It is a fact that those foods that occupy the express the highest values on this scale are fruits, and particularly the berries.

I drink water. LOTS and LOTS of water. The other day I was away from home and my water bottle that I always have with me ran dry. As I was going into a grocery store, I decided to pick up a cold bottle of water to last me the rest of the day. Being rather thirsty, I guzzled half the bottle right away. Waiting at a stop light, I curiously took a glance at the label. Expecting to see only water in the ingredients list, I was shocked to see salt! They added SALT to my water??? ARGGGGGGGGGG!

So, if you want additives in your water, here is a much better solution.

Goji Berry Tea. Take a small handful of dried Goji Berries. Toss them in your water bottle. Add a bit of hot water. (I use filtered water heated on the stove.) When the berries have plumped a bit, add cold filtered water and off you go! When you get to the bottom of that bottle just add some more filtered water. When you are done, save those plumped berries and add them to your salad for lunch.

Eating Healthy,

Tim

I can hear James Brown’s voice, screaming “I FEEL GOOD!” over the radio even now. I have no idea what made him feel good. And come to think about it, I’m not sure I even want to know.

But the Goji Berry has been advertised all over the net as the feel good fruit.  Is this just marketing hype?  No, it is true. Our Goji Berries contain 100mg of tryptophan per 100 grams of dried fruit.  Tryptophan is the amino acid that is the precursor to serotonin and serotonin is the hormone in your brain that makes you feel good. 

I checked one of my favorite sites, Nutritiondata.com to see how the goji berry stacks up. While there are lots of other foods that have more tryptophan, the goji berry is the highest fruit. The highest fruits listed were dehydrated apricots at 87 mg per 100 grams of dried fruit. 

As an amino acid, tryptophan is found in much higher amounts in protein foods like meats, dairy products and grains. But in the category of fruits, the Goji Berry is indeed the Feel Good Fruit!

Eating Healthy, 

Tim