Glutton-Free: Cultivating a Theology of Enough
Part 20: Free Radicals
Ready for a basic science lesson? Our bodies produce a substance called free radicals. Unfortunately, they are dangerous because they damage healthy cells, which can result in cancer, heart disease, or other problems. Our bodies also produce antioxidants to protect us from free radicals. But our bodies cannot produce enough antioxidants to deal with the problem so we need to get more from what we eat.
“One study of nearly 2000 plant foods and a little over 200 animal products found that the plants had on average over 1000 units of antioxidant power, 64 times the animal product average of 18. The animal “food” with the highest value was ox liver, which scored a whopping 71. Even plain old iceberg lettuce, with a measly score of 17, beat out fish, chicken, eggs and yogurt.
But not only do animal products contribute very little by way of antioxidants, consuming them also means getting an extra dose of free radicals… Sadly, the SAD [standard American diet], with its paucity of whole plant foods, provides less than half the daily needs of antioxidants, and at the same time increases the need for more. Thus it is no wonder antioxidant-deficiency diseases are so common.” (Rogers Loc 1103)
I do not know about you but I cannot remember the last time I ate ox liver! But knowing I might not be getting enough of the substance that helps my body eliminate cancer makes me want to change how I eat.
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