Vocabulary 101

With so much health phrases going around I thought it would be good to just write some vocabulary definitions. Knowledge is power and what you don’t know can hurt you.

Antioxidants- combat free radicals in your body by having unpaired electrons to fight free radicals. Antioxidants carry an extra electron for the free radicals to use because they are missing one. This stops a chain reaction in the body, which would cause inflammation. Antioxidants protect the body against these dangerous molecules by capturing and defusing them, removing them from the cell environment.
Antioxidants also offer themselves to be oxidized by the free radicals, but regenerate themselves. Antioxidants also help immensely to repair the damage caused by oxidizing agents. Thus a healthy level of antioxidants, like vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium, is essential to prevent chronic inflammatory damage, arrest pre-cancerous changes and slow the so-called aging changes.

Oxidation — The process of oxidation in the human body damages cell membranes and other structures including cellular proteins, lipids and DNA. When oxygen is metabolized, it creates ‘free radicals’ which steal electrons from other molecules, causing damage.

Free radicals-usually highly reactive and unstable; missing an electron. As it looks for an electron it causes a chain reaction causing oxidation. Antioxidants contain an extra electron and combat free radicals

Oxidation-chain reaction caused by the invasion of free radicals, combatted by antioxidants

Resveratrol- an antioxidant which causes the body to efficiently detoxify molecules that oxidize other molecules and tissues. is a phytoalexin, which means it is a protective antibiotic produced in plants under stress, whether due to fungal attack, drought, ultraviolet irradiation, or inflammation. This molecule helps the plants to fight back and maintain health.

Catechins- found in green tea and in some fruits and veggies is high in antioxidants

Phytonutrients (phytochemicals)-found in plants and has great health benefits to humans
Glyphosate- first introduced in 1974 under the trade name “Roundup” and has since been marketed under a number of different trade names in hundreds of plant protection products around the world. Glyphosate-based herbicides are used to control weeds in a wide range of crops including cereals, oilseed rape, field beans, sunflowers, grain maize, sugar beet and grassland. Used in genetically modified organisms.

Flavonoids- are plant-based compounds with powerful antioxidant properties found in many fruits and vegetables like blueberries and grapes.

Genetically Modified Organism- (GMO)- organisms that have been created through application of transgenic, gene-splicing techniques that are part of biotechnology. They are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering.

Genetically Engineered — (GEO) altered with inserted genetic material — to exhibit traits that repel pests or withstand the application of herbicides and Round-up. Once GE products are on the market, no labeling is required. This means that U.S. consumers blindly eat and drink GE ingredients every day and are not given the knowledge or choice to do otherwise.

Metabolic Syndrome- is a cluster of conditions — increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels — that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Synthetic- (of a substance) made by chemical synthesis, especially to imitate a natural product.

Natural- existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind. Ex. “carrots contain a natural antiseptic that fights bacteria”

Excitoxins — are substances, usually amino acids, that stimulate taste receptors on the tongue. Not preservatives and with no nutritional value, excitotoxins are nothing other than “chemicals added to foods to make them ‘tastier,’".

MSG — monosodium glutamate an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, MSG is more than just a seasoning like salt and pepper, it actually enhances the flavor of foods, making processed meats and frozen dinners taste fresher and smell better, salad dressings more tasty, and canned foods less tinny. MSG may affect hormone production in the body.

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