Oxidative Stress & Healthy Lifestyle

Many mainstream researches have already proved that the strongest defense against any diseases, including oxidative stress, is our bodies’ own natural antioxidant and immune systems. These are far superior to any over the counter or prescribed medicines. A healthy lifestyle can help achieve that.

What is Oxidative stress?

Oxidative stress is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in your body. Free radicals are the oxidized molecules with an uneven number of electrons. Because of free electrons, free radicals can easily reach with other molecules. Free radicals are normal in human beings and are controlled by antioxidants.

When antioxidants are outnumbered by free radicals it can cause damages to tissues, cells, DNA, and other living molecules within the body. Oxidative stress also adds to aging.

Why a Healthy Lifestyle?

There are sufficient proofs and concluded studies that prove using the right nutritional diet and supplements with regular exercise over a period of time improves health and boosts immunity. Taking the nutrient-rich diet and following a healthy lifestyle is not about eradicating disease; it is about promoting vibrant health.

Ray Strand in his book “What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You” says “After reviewing medical research studies, I have absolutely no doubt that my patients who take high-quality nutritional supplements have a health benefit over those who don’t.”

“living too short and dying too long,”

While the world’s average life expectancy has significantly improved in the past century, our quality of life has been affected significantly due to chronic degenerative diseases such as cancer, stroke, diabetes, asthma, macular degeneration, cataracts, Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, etc.

We are essentially “living too short and dying too long,” as I heard expressed in a speech by Dr. Myron Wentz, a prominent immunologist, and microbiologist who also published the serious danger of oxidative stress to our health and the importance of cellular nutrition in his research papers.

The Elements of a Healthy Lifestyle

Physicians do recommend routinely to perform various tests primarily to see if any soundless diseases already exist in their patients due to oxidative stress. But does this improves our health or reduces the risk of oxidative stress? Obviously the earlier these diseases are detected, the better the patient can be treated. But the point here is most of the time our physicians and we put minimal time and effort to live a healthy lifestyle that helps avoid developing degenerative chronic diseases in the first place.

1. Healthy Balanced Diet

A balanced diet is one that helps preserve and improve overall health. A diet that offers necessary nutrition for the body. This keeps the levels of antioxidants up and reduces the risk of Oxidative Stress. A healthy balanced diet is a win-win situation and has many benefits like:

• weight loss
• a lowered risk of diabetes
• a decreased risk of heart disease
• a lowered risk of almost all cancers
• a decreased risk of high blood pressure
• a decreased risk of elevated cholesterol
• an enhanced immune system
• increased sensitivity to insulin
• increased energy and ability to concentrate

Tips for a healthy balanced diet:

Good Carbs: Whole grains (the less processed the better), vegetables, fruits, and beans. Avoid anything white – white bread, white rice, sugar, and things like pastries, sugared sodas, and other highly processed food.

Protein is a must: A normal body needs 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight or 0.36 grams per pound. Make good choices to meet the daily requirement of protein. We can include grains, nuts, and beans. If you are non-vegetarian try to avoid red meat and include fish, poultry, etc.

Fat is a friend too: Choose foods containing healthy fats. Plant oils, nuts, and fish are the best choices. Limit consumption of saturated fats, and avoid foods with trans fat.

Do not miss Fiber: Choose a fiber-filled diet that includes whole grains, raw vegetables, and fruits. Have a bowl of salad instead of a junked snack.

Vitamins & Calcium: Good sources of calcium are collards, bok choy, fortified soy milk, baked beans, etc. Limit salt intake. Choose more fresh foods, instead of processed ones. The more colorful and varied, the better. The recommendation is to have 5 colored fruits and veggies every day.

Water is the Elixir of life: Always prefer water over other drinks. Remove sugars liquids. We should avoid coffee, tea, artificially flavored drinks. We must moderate the intake of 100 percent fruit juices, low-fat milk, and alcohol(in limited quantity) even they can work into a healthy diet. Sports drinks are only recommended for people who exercise continuously for more than an hour to replace sweat-loss substances.

2. Regular Exercise

We all are aware of the fact that we should all be physically active. It’s imperative if we want to live a healthy and fulfilling life. Regular exercise improves us physically as well as mentally. Exercise keeps our immunity strong and reduces Oxidative stress. It is much more important for us when we are moving into older age.

It is medically proven that people who regularly exercise have:

• 35% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
• 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes
• almost 50% lower risk of colon cancer
• up to a 20% lower risk of breast cancer
• a 30% lower risk of early death
• up to an 83% lower risk of osteoarthritis
• up to a 68% lower risk of hip fracture
• a 30% lower risk of falls (among older adults)
• up to a 30% lower risk of depression
• up to a 30% lower risk of dementia

These days people around are less interested in physical activities, largely because technology has made our lives easier. We are driving vehicles, or using trains and buses. Wash our clothes using devices. We sit in front of a television or computer. There are fewer people doing physical labor and most of us have careers with little physical effort. Job, household tasks, shopping, and other activities expected are much less challenging than our prior generations.

Tips to be active each day even if we do not find time for regular Gym or Formal Exercise.

The First Step is to Move: When doing something challenging or something which we do not like the very first step is to start. This is true for exercise as well. If you have decided to live a healthy lifestyle taking those extra steps by simply using stairs instead of lifts or go for shopping nearby on foot rather than a vehicle.

Exercise at your Desk: Most studies have shown that sitting for a longer period can have a destructive impact on overall health and lifespan. Try to take breaks and walk. If that is not possible start moving your lower body while sitting.

Use your lunch break: Do not eat and sit try to walk, jog, or cycle in your lunch hour as well. If that is not possible you can do simple stretching or try some Pranayams(controlled breathing)

Exercise while you watch: 99% of us relax on the couch with a cup of coffee and watch that favorite show. Actually this is the best time to exercise. You are completely free and follow a routine of doing exercise while watching your favorite show. Challenge yourself to X number of push-ups, sit-ups, or squats in those 20 mins. You can mix 3-4 exercises as well.

Raise the bars: Once you are habitual being active start raising the bars. Compete with your self. Join a Gym or Yoga class. Take a bicycle instead of car-bike to office. If you want to improve there are no dearth of ideas.

3. Nutritional Supplements to fight oxidative stress

We all are aware that what we are eating every day is not sufficient to meet daily recommended nutrition values. The food we eat today is mostly contaminated with chemicals and does not have the same levels of vitamins and minerals.

I strongly believe that there are significant health benefits in taking high-quality nutritional supplements, even if you are in excellent health. Put simply, the basic health benefits of nutritional supplements are:

• an enhanced immune system
• an enhanced antioxidant defense system
• a decreased risk of coronary artery disease
• a lowered risk of stroke
• a decreased risk of cancer
• a lowered risk of arthritis, macular degeneration, and cataracts
• the potential for a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s disease, asthma, obstructive lung disease, and
• many other chronic degenerative diseases
• the potential for improving the clinical course of several chronic degenerative diseases

Conclusion

Although free radicals and antioxidants are component of the normal and safe functioning of the system, there’s oxidative stress when free radicals and antioxidants are out of control. Oxidative stress can spark serious harm to many of the tissues, which over time can lead to a variety of illnesses.

Although exposure to free radicals can not be completely avoided, we can make healthier decisions about food, exercise, and lifestyle to help keep your body in equilibrium, and prevent harm and disease.

Ashish Agrawal

Ashish is passionate & enthusiastic about coding and developing new skills. He has over a decade of experience in the Software & IT industry. He loves to code, design websites, and finding automated solutions to everything.  He loves writing on topics like investment, nutrition, leadership, etc.