Did you know…?
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant and your body’s most important detoxifying molecule, that helps protect your cells from oxidative stress.
It’s a MVP for reaching optimal health!
Glutathione plays several important roles in supporting overall health, including:
neutralize free radicals
help remove mercury from the brain
regulate cell growth and death
maintain mitochondrial DNA
regenerate vitamin C and E and activate antioxidant enzymes
Basically, glutathione is a master antioxidant and a cellular powerhouse, whose main role is to aid in DETOX, attaching to toxins and free radicals, neutralizing them, and helping to expel them from the body, while also supporting the growth of healthy cells and mitochondrial dna.
It also plays a role in strenghtening your immune system and lowering signs of aging. Think: more energy, better skin and better overall health.
We produce it naturally, but we need the right inputs to make enough of it.
Plus, glutathione levels naturally decrease with age, and factors such as poor diet (alcohol, sugar and other processed foods) and sedentarism can furtter reduce glutathione levels.
To help boost our glutathione levels, it helps to eat a diet rich in sulfur-rich foods, and of course foods that naturally contain glutathione, as well as foods rich in Vitamin C and Selenium, two of the main co-factors in proudcing glutathione.
12 foods to boost your glutathione and support your body’s detox pathways:
Cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, okra, arugula, collard greens, kale, brussels sprouts and asparagus
Alliums: Garlic, onions, shallots & leeks
Green tea (this includes matcha, my favorite morning beverage!)
Ginger and turmeric
Dark leafy greens like spinach and kale
Avocados
Bell peppers and tomatoes (rich in vitamin C)
Berries especially strawberries (choose organic when possible)
Citrus Fruits (rich in vitamin C)
Brazil nuts (rich in selenium)
Animal protein: seafood, poultry & meat (aim to always get organic, pasture-raised poultry and grass-fed meats)
Organic dairy, including greek yogurt and cottage cheese (ideally organic A2 dairy)
Other things that can help boost glutathione include:
Supplementing with liposomal glutathione (capsules or liquid. We can also support glutatione by taking NAC (N-acetylcysteine, which has cysteine, an amino acid that forms glutathione), NAD (Nicotinamide Riboside Chloride - a coenzyme involved in energy production and DNA repair, available as supplements, injections or IVs). as well as Milk Thistle, ALA (alpha lipoic acid) and Turmeric extract.
Regular exercise: Research suggests that exercise can help to increase glutathione levels and thereby also reduce oxidative stress.
Taking a warm bath with Epsom salts can also help your body’s production of glutathione (plus it helps you sleep better, and getting enough sleep is key for glutathione production)!
By incorporating these foods (and also getting proper movement, sleep, epsom salt baths once in a while, and taking beneficial supplements) you can easily help your body keep up its production of glutathione and support its much needed detoxification processes. Again, having optimal levels of gluathione is helpful for feeling better overall, having more energy, better skin, a healthier immune system, and even aging slower! So start eating these foods now on the regular basis, and your body will thank you!
P.S. Don’t miss out on my previous two related blogs:
And if you haven’t yet tried one of my 10 day detoxes, you will not regrest it! Sign up for my next detox as it’s such a powerful tool to boost your health, and honestly, a MUST given the modern day world we live in, bombarded with daily toxins; I suggest doing it once a year at least.
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