Antioxidant Skincare

source:flickr by:Aeioux

One of the easiest ways to provide your body and skin with a dose of antioxidants is to incorporate antioxidant beverages into your diet. Usually featuring a water base fortified with fruit extracts and antioxidant vitamins, these drinks keep you hydrated while providing a daily dose of free radical protection.

Since the beginning of the antioxidant boom, hundreds of antioxidant drinks have sprung up in the aisles of our grocery stores and health food centers. While it’s wonderful to have so many options, the sheer number of choices leaves consumers wondering which brands to trust, and which are just cashing in on the current trends.

Many supposed health drinks contain potentially dangerous sweeteners, artificial dyes, and as little as one percent actual juice. That doesn’t sound too healthy to me! On the other hand, there are also many beverages containing truly beneficial ingredients, including acai, vitamin C, and green tea antioxidant. Wish someone would make your search simpler? That’s why I’m here today! So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are five of the best-tasting and most nutritious antioxidant drinks on the market.

1) Naked Juice is a thick, smoothie-like concoction created with 100% natural juice. Featuring antioxidant favorites such as pomegranate and acai, Naked Juice delivers skin care antioxidant results with trusted ingredients. Plus, it’s naturally sweetened with grape juice instead of refined sugar, corn syrup, or sweetener.

2) Anti-Oxidant Water Booster by Dr. Brandt is a true antioxidant skin care product. Available in Blueberry, Pomegranate and Original Green Tea, Anti-Oxidant Water Booster harnesses the antioxidant powers of green tea, vitamins C and E, white tea, and grapeseed extract. Specially designed to boost the skin’s healing and protective abilities from the inside out, Anti-Oxidant Water Booster supplies the body with essential nutrients to help it function properly. Formulated without the use of caffeine, calories, or artificial sweeteners, and by far the most travel-friendly antioxidant food on this list!

3) VidaTea is a fizzy green tea beverage that’s naturally sweetened with pure agave nectar. Agave nectar is harvested from the agave plant and is similar to honey, though it boasts the unique ability to sweeten foods and drinks without spiking blood sugar levels. VidaTea advertises the ability to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels with its healthful green tea, vitamin C, and vitamin B formula.

4) Teas’ Tea by Ito En is an all-natural, genuinely brewed Japanese tea that supplies a high dose of the antioxidant superheros known as catechins. Catechins are said to improve circulation and lower cholesterol, and are also being studied for use against cancer, hair loss, and gum disease, to name only a few. Teas’ Tea is available in both unsweetened and lightly sweetened formulations, the latter being enhanced with a small amount of pure cane sugar, rather than artificial sweeteners.

5) POM Wonderful is a no-brainer when it comes to antioxidant beverages. Made with 100% pure pomegranate juice, POM is a natural way to supply your body with antioxidants to improve your immune system, aid in healthy function, and heal and protect your skin. POM also offers mixed tea beverages, which use natural juice and brewed tea to provide antioxidants while giving you new flavor choices.

Bonus: Coconut Water
Coconut water is derived from young green coconuts, and has been gaining popularity since the early 2000’s. Extremely high in potassium and antioxidants, and efficient when it comes to hydration, coconut water is a great choice for those with more active lifestyles. Coconut water flavor varies from brand to brand, with some manufacturers offering flavored coconut water beverages. Try a few different brands to find the coconut water that suits you, or you can always purchase a young green coconut from a health food store and tap into it yourself!

source:David Monniaux soure: Wikipedia.org

Antioxidant Ingredient Close-up: Cocoa Butter

Chocolate is certainly one of our favorite antioxidant foods here at AntioxidantSkinCare.org. Delicious, decadent, and extremely high in free radical-fighting capabilities – what’s not to love? Today, our antioxidant ingredient close-up is going to focus on a relative of chocolate: cocoa butter.

Cocoa butter is a stable fat extracted from either ground cacao beans through what is known as the Broma process, or pressed and separated from chocolate liquor. Aside from antioxidant skin care products, cocoa butter is used in everything from food to pharmaceuticals.

When used in natural skin care products, cocoa butter offers an emollient texture that is able to moisturize even the driest of skin types. It provides the rich, luxurious scent of dark chocolate, turning any antioxidant product into an aromatherapeutic experience. In addition, cocoa butter is a natural preservative which will help maintain the shelf-life of your beauty care products.

Often used in the best stretch mark creams, cocoa butter is wonderful when used to relieve chapped, dry, itchy skin. Perfect for flaky lips in the winter, and dry feet in the summer, cocoa butter will restore a smooth texture and supple tone to the skin. Plus, it’s extremely safe and gentle, allowing it to be used during pregnancy, on babies, and by very sensitive skin types.

As far as skin antioxidants are concerned, cocoa butter has you covered. It features a slew of highly protective antioxidants including flavanoids and polyphenols. In addition, it offers a wide range of essential minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, iron, copper, and zinc.

When applied topically, cocoa butter absorbs quickly and completely, leaving the skin feeling comfortable and soft. When taken internally, cocoa butter supplies the body with antioxidant protection while providing a natural dose of tryptophan, dopamine, and phenylethylamine — all essential for healthy brain function.

Cocoa butter has been scientifically proven to protect the skin against UV ray damage while healing already accrued damage, making it a great choice for after-sun care. When reading your antioxidant skin care product labels, look for Theobroma Cacao, Cocoa Seed Butter, or simply Cocoa Butter to ensure this must-have ingredient is improving your skin care regimen.

source:flickr by:rogiro

Antioxidant Ingredient Close-up: Coffee Berry Extract

What’s the one antioxidant that’s supposed to provide the best protection against UVA rays, UVB rays and age-accelerating free radicals? Nope, it’s not pomegranate, blueberry, acai or goji, but a relatively new antioxidant skin care ingredient: coffee berry extract, known by its proprietary name, CoffeeBerry. In fact, CoffeeBerry can contain 15,000 to 17,500 ORAC units, higher than even green tea antioxidant.

Coffee berries are the delicate, cherry-like fruit of the coffea arabica plant. It is inside the coffee berries that our coffee beans — which are actually seeds — are found. Because coffee berries are so fragile and perishable, their flesh was always discarded during the harvesting of the coffee berry seeds. However, since the discovery of the coffee berry’s exceptional antioxidant benefits, the flesh of the berries has become as prized as the seeds.

It is believed that coffee berries are so rich in antioxidant polyphenols because they grow near the equator in harsh conditions at high altitudes. Here, the sun’s rays are exceptionally strong, providing a heavy dose of oxidation to the plants. In order to survive, the plants must create natural antioxidants to protect themselves against free radicals. Coffee berry plants make many polyphenols and phenolic acids, including ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, quinic acid, and proanthocyanidina.

CoffeeBerry is used as an anti aging skin care treatment by only a handful of skin care companies, including Revaleskin and Priori. As a skin antioxidant, CoffeeBerry neutralizes oxidizing radicals in order to prevent collagen damage, reduce wrinkles, and protect against other sun-related damages. In addition, CoffeeBerry may provide anti-inflammatory actions, a benefit which can further reduce the appearance of visible signs of aging.

Clearly, CoffeeBerry is an ingredient you’d like to see in your antioxidant skin care products. Paired with other CoffeeBerry products or a solid anti-aging beauty care regimen featuring other antioxidant sources, CoffeeBerry is sure to provide you with visible anti-aging benefits, including fewer wrinkles and signs of sun damage.

Green Tea Antioxidants for Treating Hair Disorders

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Green tea is a true wonder food. It boosts the metabolism, helps reduce dental plaque, promotes energy, and is believed to have anti-cancer properties. In addition, it supplies antioxidants to the entire body, which helps boost the immune system, neutralize free radicals, enhance skin health, and more. In fact, it’s the green tea antioxidants that are now believed to help reduce hair disorders such as hair loss!

The catechins (antioxidants) in green tea target hair loss in three important ways.

1. Green tea catechins inhibit 5-alpha-reductase. 5-alpha-reductase is the enzyme that converts free testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the main contributing factor in male pattern baldness, and one of the many factors in female pattern baldness.
2. Green tea intake correlates to higher globulin levels, a protein that binds sex hormones so that they cannot be used directly by tissues. When free testosterone is bound by globulin, it reduces the amount of free testosterone available to be converted into dihydrotestosterone, thereby reducing the amount of DHT created by the body.
3. Green tea enhances and encourages healthy circulation, which directly benefits the hair by carrying nutrients and oxygen to the hair follicles.

On top of the anti-hair loss benefits provided by green tea hair care products, the inclusion of green tea in your shampoo and conditioner will gently remove impurities and provide beauty-promoting nutrients to all hair types.

No conclusive clinical studies have been published on the effects of green tea on hair loss; however, the scientific evidence speaks for itself. It may take up to 6-12 months to see results on a green tea hair care regimen, so patience is required.

Hair products formulated with green tea can be boosted by drinking green tea or taking green tea dietary supplements, a habit that will also supply the health benefits mentioned above. Look at it this way: using green tea for your overall health may be able to maintain the health, beauty and thickness of your hair. It’s certainly worth a try! After all, what do you have to lose?

source:flickr by:daniel y. go

Antioxidant Ingredient Close-Up: Green Tea

Weight issues, acne, poor health, oxidation damage; these are just a few of the things green tea antioxidants can improve. Green tea has long been used as a multi-tasking “healer” in Asian cultures, and has more recently become a staple of many American diets. It has been said that drinking green tea will help prevent one from aging, which sounds more far-fetched than it actually is. What’s green tea’s anti-aging secret? Antioxidants, of course!

Green tea contains particularly potent antioxidants known as catechins. The catechins found in teas, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), are also responsible for green and white tea’s antimicrobial effects and suspected anti-cancer abilities. When taken internally, green tea is able to improve overall health while boosting metabolism and protecting against a wide variety of illnesses. When used topically, green tea is able to provide similar benefits to the skin, including:

• Protection against free radicals
• Reduced visible signs of aging and damage
• Protection against sunburn
• Skin cell rejuvenation
• Inflammation prevention
• Anti-acne benefits
• Anti-psoriasis benefits
• Anti-dandruff benefits
• Skin lightening abilities
• Suspected anti-skin cancer abilities

Green tea is also very calming and soothing, making it a wonderful skin care treatment for conditions such as rosacea. All skin care product types, such as cleansers, moisturizers and treatment products, can be found with green tea as an ingredient, making it easy to build a regimen based on green tea’s extensive benefits. Plus, green tea rarely causes undesired side effects, such as irritation, which means you can use as much or as little as you like without worrying about redness, inflammation or itching.

If you’re looking for a quick, easy way to improve your health, skin and body all at once (who isn’t?), then simply replace your coffee, black tea or soda with a mug of strong green tea. Add honey or lemon to alter the flavor, and possibly even improve green tea’s beneficial aspects. Don’t forget to slather on your green tea antioxidant cream to reduce fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and dullness! With a new green tea regimen, youthful beauty and wellness is just around the corner.

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What’s in Your Mug?

Whether it’s tea or coffee, most Americans are loathe to drive to work without something warm and awakening in their travel mugs. For years, coffee has received a bad rap for its tendency to cause nervousness, jitters, rapid heartbeat, stomach pains, elevated blood pressure levels, and higher cholesterol levels when consumed in excess. However, more and more studies show that coffee’s antioxidant levels may provide as many benefits as those found in antioxidant green tea, white tea, and black tea.

A study published by Dr. Joe Vinson, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, stated that coffee is the leading source of antioxidants in the average American diet. You read that right, folks! While coffee may not be the highest on the ORAC scale, most Americans receive the highest amount of their daily antioxidant intake through their morning cup of joe – up to 1,299 milligrams! Unfortunately, while this means coffee is providing us with anti-aging benefits, it also means that Americans still aren’t eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables, which are healthier sources of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

Coffee is also being studied for its ability to protect against liver and colon cancer, Parkinson’s disease, cavities, and type 2 diabetes. While much more research needs to be done in order to fully know coffee’s risks and benefits, it is clear that, when consumed in moderation, coffee is a great contributor to one’s health and general well-being.

Like coffee, tea is a favorite morning beverage. Tea is available in thousands of variates, and known for its soothing, comforting, and rejuvenating abilities. Green tea has long been touted for its high antioxidant levels, but green tea’s antioxidants are actually surpassed by those found in white tea. Black tea comes in last place for antioxidant levels, most likely due to the fermentation process. Though white tea does have higher antioxidant levels, green tea is still the front-runner for improving one’s overall health. Green tea can help burn excess fat, reduce one’s risk of cancer, and help prevent inflammation.

So, which is better? Even with coffee’s relatively new-found redeeming qualities, tea is still a healthier choice. However, coffee does provide antioxidants and other benefits, so don’t give up your morning jolt if you don’t want to! Whether you’re a steadfast tea drinker or a hardcore coffee lover, you have skin antioxidant options, too. While tackling free radicals internally, try Juara’s Invigorating Coffee Scrub or Green Tea Botanicals’ Anti-Aging Calming Serum with Peptides. These skin care products, as well as other products containing tea or coffee ingredients, will improve and protect your skin with antioxidants while supplying targeted actions against visible signs of aging and damage.

source:flickr by:joe marinaro

Antioxidant Ingredient Close-Up: Pomegranate Extract

One of the most powerful (and yummy) antioxidants foods is the pomegranate. This lush, seed-bearing fruit provides vitamins C and B5, potassium and, of course, antioxidant polyphenols. Pomegranate juice contains 2,860 ORAC units per 100 grams and is said to rival the antioxidant capabilities of red wine, green tea and wild blueberries . With all of these great benefits, it’s no wonder why skin care companies have started to harness the power of the pomegranate.

So, aside from being a potent skin antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals, what are the benefits of using pomegranate extract skin care products? Take a look below to learn about the protective and anti-aging abilities of pomegranate extract in skin care.

Anti-Aging
Pomegranate extract is proven to boost the skin’s collagen production. Collagen is what gives youthful skin a supple, plump texture and appearance. The loss of collagen is what leads to many visible signs of aging, including fine lines and sagging skin. Pomegranate can also rebuild the skin’s outer layers and protect against the visible effects of oxidation.

In addition to pomegranate extract’s potent collagen-boosting capabilities, some skin care companies, such as Rodial, also use pomegranate ellagic tannin. This pomegranate derivative is supposedly nature’s most potent firming and collagen-enhancing ingredient.

Sun Protection
Using an antioxidant product formulated with pomegranate extract can boost your SPF formulation by up to 20%! This means you may be able to go longer between re-application of your sunscreen products and experience fewer or less severe sunburns.

Cancer
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin claim that pomegranate is a powerful anti-skin cancer ingredient. Before inducing skin tumors, researchers pretreated a percentage of skin samples with pomegranate extract. These pretreated samples showed “substantially reduced tumor incidence.” Since skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, the effects of pomegranate on skin cancer tumors is quite a breakthrough!

With all these proven benefits, plus the possibility of even more unknown benefits, pomegranate extract is definitely an ingredient you’d like to see in your antioxidant skin care regimen.

source:flickr by:scpgt

Feed Your Skin With Chocolate!

Chocolate. It’s delicious, versatile and filled with antioxidants. In only 1.5 ounces of undutched cocoa powder, you’ll find 13,396 ORAC units. Compare that to acai berry, one of the leading antioxidant foods, which has 18,500 ORAC units in a 3.5 ounce serving size. The antioxidant powers of chocolate are well-known, which is why more and more skin care companies are using this delicious substance in their anti-aging skin care products.

Due to chocolate’s antioxidant skin care benefits, it is able to help prevent the onset of premature signs of aging, such as fine lines, wrinkles and loss of elasticity. Dark chocolate, which is rich in flavonoids, may also be able to help protect collagen and prevent against UV damage. Finally, chocolate has shown the ability to moisturize, rejuvenate and exfoliate dead skin cells, thereby restoring a radiant and smooth quality to the complexion.

If you want to get your daily dose of antioxidants by eating dark chocolate, it is important that you choose a chocolate treat containing at least 50% cacao. Selecting a semisweet chocolate that is a minimum of 70% cocoa solids will provide you with 6,649 ORAC units per 1.5 ounces consumed. That’s more than twice as many ORAC units than the recommended 3,000! Unfortunately, milk chocolate lovers will lose out on the antioxidant supplement benefits, as research suggests that dairy products may inhibit the proper absorption of antioxidants.

Even if dark chocolate doesn’t float your boat, you can still get the antioxidant benefits and sweet aroma of chocolate by using chocolate-infused skin care treatments. To moisturize, comfort and revive, try Chocolate!, a moisturizer and lip treatment by Karin Herzog that also contains orange and avocado oils, or Chocolate Mousse Hydration Masque by Eminence, an all-natural, organic treatment mask that helps reduce visible signs of aging. For oily or acne-prone skin, Chocolate Mousse Primer by Colorescience will prepare your skin for flawless makeup application while controlling excess oil, hydrating without greasiness, protecting with an SPF of 20, and reducing redness, inflammation and fine lines.

source:flickr by:justmakeit

Antioxidant Foods and ORAC Values

In our post on the best antioxidant foods, we took a brief look at ORAC units and which foods have the highest ORAC values. Now, we’ll take a look at what ORAC units actually are and why they’re so important to your body.

ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. It’s a test tube analysis that’s designed to measure the antioxidant power of different foods, much like an SPF rating for sunscreen. The USDA recommends consuming at least 3,000 ORAC units a day to help prevent signs of degradation in the skin, body and mind. Recent findings suggest that consuming a high number of ORAC units can help prevent disease and delay the aging process.

It is believed that oxidative stress significantly contributes to the development of diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease and more. Alternatively, antioxidant foods with high ORAC values may be able to help reduce your risk of developing these and other diseases. In addition to these degenerative and potentially life-threatening diseases, free radicals are known to cause major issues within the skin, as well as cosmetically significant damage, such as wrinkles, loss of elasticity and more. Antioxidant skin care products containing ingredients with high ORAC values may help decrease the likelihood of this type of damage from occurring within the skin.

While 3,000 ORAC units may seem like quite a lot to take in each and every day, it is not as difficult as one might guess. For example, one half cup of dried small red beans contains 13,727 ORAC units! Plus, the benefits of antioxidants are certainly worth the trouble of including antioxidant foods with high ORAC values in your diet. Simply sprinkle some fresh wild blueberries (13,427/cup) on your morning oatmeal or toss a cup of cooked artichoke hearts (7,904/cup) with pasta and olive oil and you have yourself a healthy meal high in both ORAC units and flavor!

source:flickr by:atomicshark

Everyone’s talking about antioxidants and why we should be incorporating them into our daily diets. We’ve all heard about acai berries, green tea and blueberries, but those treats, while yummy, aren’t able to make up an antioxidant-rich meal. When searching for recipes that will give your body a huge helping of antioxidants, use this list of antioxidant foods as a quick reference.

The following foods are listed based on the USDA’s rating scale known as ORAC, or Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. The USDA recommends eating 3,000 ORAC units a day to achieve optimal antioxidant benefits. The ORAC units included are per 100 grams or 3 1/2 ounces unless otherwise noted.

Fruits

• Acai (18,500)
• Montmorency cherry (12,800)
• Blackberry (2,036, 7,701/cup)
• Elderberries (10,624/cup)
• Apples, dried (6,681)
• Prunes (5,770)
• Blueberries (especially wild blueberry, a.k.a. bilberry) (4,736/cup)
• Dark grapes, including currants, raisins, purple grape juice and red wine (2,830)
• Cranberry (1,750)
• Strawberry (1,540, 5,938/cup)
• Raspberry (2,976/cup)
• Apple, Fuji, raw with skin (2589)
• Plum (949, 4,118/each)
• Orange (750, 2,540/each)
• Red grape (739, 2,016/cup)
• Cherry (non-Montmorency) (670, 4,873/cup)
• Avocado (3,334/each)
• Kiwi (602)
• Grapefruit, pink (483)

Vegetables

• Kale (1,770)
• Spinach (1,260)
• Brussels sprouts (980)
• Alfalfa sprouts (930)
• Broccoli flowers (890)
• Beets (840)
• Red bell pepper (710)
• Onion (450)
• Corn (400)
• Eggplant (390)
• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Beans
• Beets
• Carrots
• Olives (in the form of extra virgin olive oil)
• Red peppers
• Russet potato
• Spinach
• Tomato

Beverages and Chocolate

• Undutched cocoa powder (34,396/1.5 ounces)
• Dark, semisweet chocolate (minimum of 70% cocoa solids, preferably 85%) (8,849/1.5 ounce)
• Red Wine – Cabernet Sauvignon (5,034/5 ounces)
• Red Wine – Other (3,873/5 ounces)
• Red grape juice (4,055/8 ounces)
• Milk chocolate (3,119/1.5 ounce)
• Chocolate Syrup (2,690/1.5 ounce)
• White tea
• Green rooibos
• Green tea (1,253)
• Red rooibos
• Oolong tea
• Black tea

Other Food Sources

• Walnuts (3,839/ounce)
• Pecans (5,086/ounce)
• Hazelnut
• Allspice
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Ginger
• Lemon balm
• Oregano
• Peppermint
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Thyme
• Oats
• Sunflower seeds

Antioxidant food listings and ORAC unit information found on TheNibble.com.

Now that you’re in-the-know when it comes to antioxidant foods, make sure to stuff your shopping cart with these delicious and healthful treats. With chocolate and wine on the list, it certainly won’t be too much of a chore to get the recommended 3,000 ORAC units!