Wouldn't it be great if we could feel younger and look younger? The market is saturated with products claiming to leave you looking younger, and even worse, you can have surgery to make yourself look younger. But, what makes aging happen, and how can we stop it? Simply put, it's called oxidative stress, and we will explore oxidative stress and anti aging.

What is Oxidative Stress?

Oxidative stress (OS) is a reaction that happens at the molecular level, in every person, all day long, even while sleeping. It is a very complex subject, and I will try to break it down in easier language.

Oxidation is a term for the process of removing electrons from an atom. In the context of what we are talking about, oxygen is the responsible agent for removing these electrons. Obviously, we can't live without oxygen, but too much of it is toxic. Our energy comes from burning fuel (food and digestion) with oxygen. This is a metabolic function that, unfortunately, also produces dangerous by-products. Although a natural process, this is not good news.

Some of these by-products are called free radicals. These are unstable atoms and molecules that are trying to strip electrons from other molecules to remain stable. This process creates even more unstable molecules in their wake, which attack their neighbors, and the process cascades from there.

If you've ever driven through an area that has been hit by a tornado, when this free radical chain reaction is done, it's comparable to the damage left by the tornado. The process has ripped through critical components of cells, leaving them ravaged and extensively damaged.

So, OS is the strain placed on us by the free radicals that are constantly produce from our normal metabolic functions. This is happening to every cell 10,000 times a day. This leaves cells pockmarked and dying.

Oxidative Stress and Aging?

So, what does this have to do with aging? Well, OS and free radicals are always damaging your cells, and even the tips of DNA. This damage can cause mutations, which in turn, are the beginnings of degenerative diseases, like diabetes, alzheimer's disease, and heart disease.

This damage also causes aging. Think about it. Your skin is made up of cells. If these cells are being damaged (they are), then your skin will start showing the signs of this: drooping and wrinkling, aging spots, elasticity and tightness.

What To Do?

What can we do about this? Unfortunately, we cannot stop OS from happening. However, we can try to slow the process down. We do this with antioxidants. Antioxidants are found in fruits and vegetables. The more antioxidants we eat, the more we can fight off the free radicals, and keep the OS to a minimum.

Daily intake of a variety of fruits and veggies is the only way we can do this. We need a variety because all of the nutrients and vitamins from different produce work together synergistically (think of 1+1=3, they work better together than by themselves).

The government recommendations have always specified at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. However, this is just the bare minimum, and leaves us just above the "minimum wage" of disease prevention, which doesn't work for most of us, especially with environmental poisons. Also, many studies have shown that extremely few people even eat this amount.

Now, however, the government has replaced their campaigning to the "more is better" slogan, and researchers and doctors are now prescribing that we have to intake 9-13 servings of fruits and veggies!

Can you remember the last time you had 13 servings of produce? Yuck, for most of us, right? But, this is the only proven way to slow down, and sometimes reverse, aging. The nutrients in the fruits, veggies, and berries enhance blood flow to the skin, strengthen and thicken it, and boost hydration, all of which result in brighter and smoother skin, and tightening the wrinkles and droopiness.

So, 13 servings?

This is a lot. Try your hardest. If you can't seem to get this in your diet every single day, like most people, especially with the fast paced lifestyles we live today, there is another option. There is a whole food nutrition supplement, made from fresh, raw, fruits and vegetables, called Juice Plus+. Each daily intake is the equivalent nutrient and vitamin intake of 17 different fruits and vegetables. These enhance your lacking diet, and provide you with every bit of help and antioxidants to be healthier, look and feel younger, and live a much longer life.

So, try to eat as many different varieties of fruits and vegetables every day. And, if you cannot do this, either from a cost standpoint, or a lack of enjoyment over broccoli and beets, try Juice Plus+.

This is the only way to slow down aging, and can even reverse the already formed damage. Can you believe that we have in our natural power the ability to change our outlook on aging? Just eating produce, and drinking water, the extreme power we have over our health and longevity? It's amazing and eyeopening, and you can do it!