Oxidative stress is a common phenomenon – almost all of us are experiencing it to some degree. It’s happening in our bodies all the time, and its damaging our cells (specifically damaging our mitochondria, the energy powerhouses in our cells) and its even impairing the behavior of our DNA.
The higher our oxidative stress, the quicker we age and the more likely we are to get sick. And of course, the less likely we are to reach and maintain our ideal weight.
Also, it impairs fertility. The more oxidative stress, the more difficult it may be for you to conceive. And once pregnant, it can increase likelihood of miscarriage.
Research also indicates that oxidative stress is an underlying cause of cancer. So it’s KEY to start NOW to reduce our oxidative stress.
First off…
What is oxidative stress?
Oxidation happens when our body is fighting off infections and when our body is “detoxifying” pollutants, pesticides, and cigarette smoke. And it increases when we are physically and/or emotionally stressed. Oxidation produces free radicals. And while some free radicals are normal, when we produce too many, it leads to oxidative STRESS.
What causes oxidative stress?
Poor diet and nutrient deficiencies, usually from not enough nutrient-dense foods in your diet and too much processed foods
Excess consumption of sugar, alcohol and “unhealthy fats”, primarily refined industrial seed oils (used to fry foods and in many processed foods)
High exposure to environmental toxins such as pollution, heavy metals, mold, contaminated water, etc.
Exposure to other daily toxins, in particular endocrine disrupting chemicals such as pesticides, phthalates, bisphenols (ex. BPA) and fire retardants.
High levels of daily stress and/or anxiety
Inflammation in the body, from infections or even just “silent” inflammation from eating foods that our body can’t properly digest (leading to an inflamed, leaky gut)
How can we decrease oxidative stress?
1. Fill your plate with colorful, antioxidant-rich vegetables. You know I’m always saying in my IG posts – fill your plate with colors! count your colors, not your calories. The bright colors in your vegetables and fruits come from antioxidants and phytochemicals that help neutralize free radicals and protect against oxidative stress.
Read HERE for more on the benefits from the different colors in our fruits/veggies.
2. Limit sugar. I suggest cutting back on processed sugar as much as possible, basically any added cane sugar, as well as syrups, honey, etc. Start looking at ingredient labels and try to avoid products with sugar in its first 5 ingredients (can be cane sugar / syrup / honey / fructose / date sugar / beet sugar, etc. ) and always look at the grams of sugar. Usually you want less than 5g of sugar per serving.
If you have a sweet tooth, trying making your own desserts sweetened with only small amounts of coconut sugar or coconut nectar, or monk fruit, or a combination of those. Small amounts of pure organic maple syrup or honey are ok too, but really keep it minimal. Dates and bananas are also great natural sweeteners, but again, be mindful of portions because they still convert to sugar. HERE is my guide to best/worst sweeteners. Plus, HERE and HERE I offer tips for overcoming your sugar addiction.
3. Reduce alcohol intake; keep it to a minimum. And of course, ditch cigarettes!
I’m a huge wine lover and I’m not saying no alcohol, BUT it’s unfortunately NOT healthy for our bodies and a big contributor to stress when consumed in large quantities, so best is keeping alcohol to 1-3 dinks per night, and ideally only 1-2 nights per week. This is a very broad, rough guideline, and many health professionals argue for even less. If you have any health complications you might do best keeping it to a 1 drink per week or less. Also, when possible, choose a “cleaner” wine, organic /free of added pesticides and no added fructose.
Want to try an alcohol detox? Read HERE for benefits of a dry month and tips for doing a 30-day no-alcohol challenge.
4. Choose healthy fats; limit industrial seed oils. When buying oils, choose organic when possible and stick primarily to extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, grass-fed ghee, and small amounts of sesame oil and other nut oil such as macadamia nut oil.
Take a good quality omega-3 supplement, and get your healthy fats from avocados, coconut, olives, fish (wild-caught), nuts and sees.
Limit/Avoid industrial seed oils which include: soybean, canola (aka rapeseed), corn, safflower, sunflower, cottonseed and grapeseed oils. They are commonly used in restaurants and in packaged, processed foods. So read ingredients!
Read HERE for more on Healthy Fats vs bad fats, benefits, etc.
5. Supplement wisely. Most people benefit from taking a good quality multivitamin (make it a prenatal if planning to get pregnant soon), omega-3/fish oil, vitamin D and probiotics. Then there are others that may benefit your specific needs, ex. if you suffer from constipation, a daily magnesium supplement may help. *just make sure you get well-researched high-quality supplements, ideally recommended by holistic practitioners*. More on recommended supplements HERE.
Additional supplements that can help include: N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), B complex with methyl-folate and B12, Alpha lipoic acid, COQ-10, Vitamin C and Selenium.
6. Rest & Restore daily. Get 7-9 hours of sleep every night, and establish a daily meditation, yoga, and/or deep breathing practice, even if its only 5-10 minutes.
I also love journaling as a stress-management tool. I suggest playing around with different relaxing, stress-management tools, sticking to them for a week or 2 straight, have fun with them, and then determine which ones are best for you and your schedule and personality.
Read HERE on why sleep is so important for your health and weight loss.
7. Exercise! A sedentary lifestyle increases oxidative stress, so make it a habit to move your body every day. Do what you can but make it consistent, then work your way up. Even if you can only start with exercising for 10 minutes 3 times/week, great. Do that. Make it a habit. Then increase to 30 minutes 4 times/week. Then maybe you’ll be doing 1 hour of exercise 5-7 times a week. And on the days where you’re not doing “active exercise”, make sure you’re walking and taking the stairs when possible. Even a few squats and stretches counts.
Read HERE for more on the importance of exercise and some tips.
8. Reduce exposure to toxins – particularly endocrine disrupting chemicals (primarily pesticides, bisphenols, phthalates and fire retardants) as well as heavy metals.
A few ways to limit exposure include:
Choose organic fruits and vegetables when possible. even with packaged foods and wine, look for organic label
Use glass and stainless steel instead of plastic – for your water bottle, to store food, in everything possible limit plastic (and never ever use plastic to heat up food!)
Limit cans, and if you buy anything canned, look for BPA-free lining label
Upgrade pots and pans to “clean, non-toxic” brands free of Teflon and other EDCs
Open your windows and introduce house plants to improve air quality and reduce exposure to fire retardant chemicals
Swap to “cleaner” personal care products and household cleaning products
Reduce consumption of heavy metals by choosing smaller, lower-mercury fish
Read HERE for my best tips for adapting a “non-toxic” lifestyle
Start applying what you can of these 8 tips, and your body (and mind) will thank you. Minimizing your oxidative stress will help you feel better in your body, can help you lose weight and can help you prevent disease and early ageing. Plus, for many of my lady friends in your 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, it will help you be more fertile, and if you’re pregnant, reducing oxidative stress is KEY for a healthy pregnancy!
Feel free to share this with anyone you know, and please comment below with any thoughts/questions. I’m always happy to hear from you.
References include: be well by kelly’s fab pregnancy, Dr. Doni Wilson