|
The November issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture contains two studies that examined common food storage and preparation techniques. The studies showed that microwaving vegetables can destroy up to 97% of cancer-preventing antioxidants, and that blanching and freezing can destroy up to 70% of vitamins. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables, combined with vitamin and mineral supplementation, maximizes the protective effects. In the first study, broccoli lost 97 percent of flavonoids, 74 percent of sinapics and 87 percent of caffeoyl-quinic derivatives (three different types of antioxidants) when it was microwaved. When boiled broccoli lost 66 percent of its flavonoids; when tossed in a pressure cooker, broccoli lost 47 percent of its caffeoyl-quinic acid derivatives. Steamed broccoli, on the other hand, lost only 11 percent, 0 percent and 8 percent, respectively, of flavonoids, sinapics, and caffeoyl-quinic derivatives. Microwaving is the most destructive of the cooking methods, as it heats the inside of the vegetables and breaks down the structure of the antioxidants. Contact with water, when boiling and pressure cooking, leaches out the nutrients and also destroys them with the high temperature. Steaming minimizes the leaching and contact with hot water, reducing the destruction of the nutrients. The second study looked at the effects of blanching and freezing on 20 vegetables including broccoli, spinach, carrots, peas and green beans. Among some of the more startling results were that spinach lost 40 percent of its potassium and 70 percent of its folic acid and vitamin C, while carrots, peas, and broccoli lost 30 percent of their vitamin C. Once again, the authors recommended fresh fruits and vegetables whenever possible, and light steaming as the preferred heating option. Even with the best of diets, it's still possible to have some marginal deficiencies due to depleted soils, the overuse of chemical fertilizers and poor farming, processing, storage and transportation practices. Add that to the fact that most of us don't even eat a well-balanced diet every day, and you can see how important it is for everyone, and especially athletes, to use a high quality multiple vitamin/mineral supplement. Our Foundation Supplements, including MVM and Antiox provide you with the vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant foundation upon which you can achieve your health, fitness, body composition and performance goals. With its synergistic blend of powerful antioxidants Antiox provides targeted antioxidant protection to all tissues in the body including the musculoskeletal system and the liver. AntiOx contains the usual antioxidants (including beta-carotene, vitamins E and C, zinc and selenium), and it also contains higher-level (and more expensive) antioxidants and immune enhancers including glutathione, the most important, all-purpose, endogenous antioxidant in our bodies. Our brand of glutathione, unlike most, is absorbed from the GI tract and used both systemically in all tissues in the body but especially by the liver in its role as the primary detoxifying organ in the body. As well, AntiOx contains other potent antioxidants including lipoic acid, lycopene, resveratrol (from red wine) and grape seed extract. MVM contains a complete mix of all of the important, and more expensive, vitamins and minerals. I formulated MVM to include ingredients and compounds that reflect the latest research information. You won't see a bloated ingredients list in MVM's nutrition panel. When you put out a high quality, high dosage, complete vitamin and mineral formula there's no need to use miniscule sprinklings of bran, kelp, wheat germ, bee pollen, rose hips, and various fruit and vegetable powders, just to give the consumer the impression that they're getting good value for their dollar.
|
|
Products mentioned in this article:
Antiox
MVM
 ..
|
Personal Trainer Certification with the I.A.R.T.
Dr. Di Pasquale is a licensed physician in Ontario, Canada, focusing on Nutrition and Sports Medicine, as well as a world class athlete for over twenty years... 
Get the FREE abridged editions of the Anabolic Solution eBooks for Powerlifters and for Bodybuilders. A natural and effective alternative to the use of powerful, and dangerous, body shaping drugs and surgery. The Anabolic Solution is The Anabolic Steroid Alternative. 
Bob Sapp, aka "The Beast", uses the Metabolic Diet, Anabolic Solution and the MD+ line of supplements