Antioxidants

Oxidation reactions involve molecules being broken down and loosing electrons. Usually, when oxidation occurs in the body it is followed by a Reduction reaction that involves electrons being gained by the molecule. Sometimes oxidation occurs without reduction, resulting in the formation of free radicals. Free radicals are atoms with an unpaired electron. Unpaired electrons are highly unstable. They can destabilize other molecules and damage our cells.

Antioxidants are compounds that have the ability to prevent or repair the damage cause by oxidation reactions in the human body. Antioxidants come in the form of vitamins, minerals or phytochemicals.

Our bodies naturally produce a small amount of free radicals in the process of energy production. However, a large accumulation of free radicals has been linked to many diseases including cancers, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer's & Parkinson's.

Recently, researchers have been studying the connections between antioxidants and cancer prevention. We know that whole food sources of antioxidants like fruits vegetables and whole grains are more beneficial than artificially created antioxidant supplements. Studies have shown that populations consuming high amounts of whole food antioxidants have lower rates of cancer.

Vitamin antioxidants work by donating their electrons or hydrogen atoms to free radicals to stabilize them, reducing the damage caused by oxidation.
Examples include: Vitamin E, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C.
Food sources include:
Vitamin C content is high in cantaloupe, kiwi, citrus fruits, mango and pineapple.
Vitamin A can be made from the provitamin beta carotene which is found in carrots and spinach.

Mineral antioxidants act as cofactors, assisting enzymes in antioxidant enzyme systems that convert free radicals to less damaging substances for excretion. Mineral antioxidants also breakdown fatty acids that are oxidized, destroying the free radicals and making more antioxidant vitamins available.
Examples include: Selenium, Copper, Iron, Zinc and Manganese.
Food sources include:
Iron content is high in meat, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, lentils, soy and spinach.
Selenium content is high in nuts, seafood, whole grains, seeds and mushrooms.

Antioxidant phytochemicals help stabilize free radicals similar to antioxidant vitamins.
Examples include: Beta-Carotene, Apigenin, Anthocyanins, Catechins, and Glucosinolates.
Food sources include:
EGCG found in tea, especially green tea.
Resveratrol found in the skins of grapes, blueberries and raspberries
Ellagic Acid found in berries, pomegranate and walnuts.
Sulfoaphane found in broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbages.

The best way to get the health benefits of antioxidants is to incorporate a variety of types into your diet. Eat the rainbow, incorporate a range of colors of fruits and vegetables on your plate.

Homemade Lavender Lotion

I became interested in making my own lotion from scratch after making it in a lab for the organic chemistry course I was taking. We used lanolin (sheep fat) which is pretty common in commercial lotions. In the lab, we experimented with different ingredients to see how they impacted the final lotion product.

  

        I enjoyed the lab but wanted to make a vegan lotion, using plant based fats. I wanted to add scent and possibly color. I started googling recipes for diy lotion and quickly became frustrated. Many diy recipes for products like lotion and soap are just wrong. Lotions are emulsions, meaning there is a liquid portion blending with a fat/oil/wax portion. In order for this to occur, an emulsifying agent must be used. Far too many of the diy recipes I found were just blending fats together (won't moisturize skin and dosent really qualify as lotion) or missing the emulsifying agent (meaning the final product will separate when left standing)! I lost some faith in the internet diy community that day.
        I started by looking at ingredient labels of lotions from my favorite natural body care brands, including Lush, Honest Co and the Body Shop. I looked at what ingredients overlapped, what was found in all the lotions. I researched the ingredients that stood out and started developing a recipe with them, following the model we used in the chemistry lab. While the chemicals in lotion making are fairly harmless, I strongly believe that a background knowledge of some chemistry basics is necessary to make a proper lotion from scratch.

        The first recipe I concocted was:
5 cups of Water
1/2 cup Sweet Almond Oil
1/2 cup Emulsifying Wax
1/4 cup Stearic Acid
1 Tbsp Citric Acid
1 Tbsp Potassium Sorbate
1/2 teaspoon Vitamin E Oil
1 teaspoon Lavender Essential Oil
Blue & Red Cosmetic Grade Colorant
(yields 48 oz of lotion)

Pot one: emulsifying wax, almond oil and stearic acid

Pot two: water, potassium sorbate

Both pots are heated. Pot one is removed from heat as soon as wax has melted.

Pot two is removed from heat right before boiling and citric acid is added. At this point, I took the temperature of both pots to make sure they were close to each other.

Pot two is slowly added to pot one while stirring.

Stirring really helps the emulsifying agent do its job and keeps the oils and liquids from separating. I stirred for a solid 5 minutes and then let it sit, stirring every 20-30 minutes for the next 3 hours.

After the lotion had cooled for one hour, I added the lavender essential oil, vitamin E oil and cosmetic grade colorants. I didn't really measure these, just slowly added and stirred until I got the color and smell I was looking for. (I went for a light purple which was hard to capture in pictures)

Once the lotion had almost cooled completely (about 3 hours) I used a funnel to bottle my lotions. I'm really happy with the way the lotion turned out. I had fun labeling the containers too.

I used 8oz and 4oz containers for my lotion. This recipe yielded 48 oz of lotion. The consistency was somewhat liquidy making it ideal for a pump style container. It has a nice lavender scent and moisturizes the skin without leaving any greasy residue.

Simple Guacamole Recipe

Avocados are a great ingredient to incorporate into your diet. They contain antioxidants, potassium, vitamin C, protein, dietary fiber and monounsaturated (healthy) fats. So many nutrients with no cholesterol or sodium make avocados a good replacement for fat in some recipes. (They actually make delicious brownies.) This simple guacamole recipe is an easy and delicious way to start adding avocado to any diet.

For more information specifically on Avocados, check out the California Avocado Commission's Website

Recipe for Simple Guacamole:

Ingredients:
2 Ripe Avocados
1 Tomato chopped
2 Tbs Chopped Onion
2 Tbs Fresh Green Chilies (or 4 Tbs canned)
1 Clove of Garlic minced
1 Tbs Fresh Lime or Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Fresh Cilantro to taste

Directions:
1. Remove Avocodo peels and pits.
2. Mash Avocado pulp until smooth
3. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

A blender can be used to create a smoother texture if desired.

Nutrient Facts:

Guacamole Portions: 6
Nutrients	Amount Per Portion
Total Calories	80 Calories
Protein	1 g
Carbohydrate	6 g
Dietary Fiber	3 g
Total Sugars	1 g
Added Sugars	0 g
Total Fat	7 g
Saturated Fat	1 g
Monounsaturated Fat	4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat	1 g
Minerals	Amount Per Portion
Calcium	13 mg
Potassium	281 mg
Sodium	240 mg
Copper	114 µg
Magnesium	16 mg
Phosphorus	31 mg
Vitamins	Amount Per Portion
Vitamin A	12 µg RAE
Vitamin B6	0.2 mg
Vitamin C	11 mg
Vitamin K	14 µg
Folate	46 µg DFE
Niacin	1 mg
Choline	9 mg
www.SuperTracker.usda.gov

DIY Body Scrubs

I like to use a mix of fine and coarse ground sea salt in my body scrubs. Finer salt is more gentle so better for people with sensitive skin. Coarser salt is able to exfoliate more and help your skin get clean.You can find these at any grocery store,should only cost a few dollars. Then I add oil. Different oils have different benefits and treat different skin issues. For example, grape seed oil strengthens and tightens skin while moisturizing to fight aging. Grape seed oil has anti-inflammatory properties that make it good for people with sensitive skin. Coconut oil has a nice smell and contains vitamin E to help repair damaged skin. In my own experience, coconut oil really makes my skin smooth. I got my oils at the Queens Health Emporium my local health food store. I'm sure they could also be ordered online.

The essential oils and extracts are mainly used for scent since salt and oils don’t have much of a smell. Fresh fruit juices or shavings of peel can also be used. Citrus fruits are great because the smell really comes through, especially if it’s fresh. I have used fresh lime and grapefruit in the past and I highly suggest it, I loved the smell. I found these other essential oils at the health food store and on amazon. (just regular lime juice from the grocery store)

One example of a scrub I made contained sea salt, apricot oil, coconut oil, orange extract, and lime juice. 

The ratio and ingredients are up to you depending how you want the finished product to be. I like mine the constancy of wet send. I usually start out by filling a container halfway with salt. I add oils until it is saturated, mix it and then add more salt and fragrances. It’s so easy and inexpensive compared to similar products on the market now. One 200 mL jar sized batch usually lasts me 2-3 weeks. My skin feels great and I feel good about what I'm using to clean my body. Many commercial body care products contain a long ingredient list of chemicals. I prefer something with a few simple ingredients that I know and understand. There are some of natural products on the market now, but I find many of them are cost prohibitive. The oils and extracts will last a while. I haven't run out of any of mine and I've made seven or eight batches. I've had to buy more salt but it's pretty inexpensive.

DIY Homemade Granola Bars

Audrey’s DIY Homemade Granola Bars

Recipe:

8x8 pan

1½ cup Oats

½ cup Brown Rice Syrup

½ cup Crunchy (nuts, graham crackers etc.)

½ cup Sweet (chocolate, marshmallows, dried fruit etc.)

½ cup Other (pumpkin seeds, sesame sticks, cereal flakes, etc.)

Optional tablespoon of peanut butter, coconut oil, etc

Optional teaspoon vanilla extract, cinnamon, cocoa powder etc

Makes 8 bars

Bars stay fresh for two weeks

1. Preheat oven to 325F

2. Mix ingredients in a bowl (rice syrup may need to be heated for 30 seconds to make it pourable)

3. Use parchment paper or lightly grease pan before pouring in the granola mix. Distribute evenly

4. Bake for 20-30 minutes

5. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting

For Christmas 2014 I have made a few batches and will be giving my loved ones granola bars with this recipie. Some of the flavors I made include: Cranberry-Walnut-Pumpkin Seed, Dark Chocolate-Walnut-Cranberry, Peanutbutter-Chocolate chip, Smores(chocolatechips, marshmellows and graham crackers), and Dark-Chocolate-Coconut-Cashew. This recipie is great because there are so many options and different things you can do. I also would suggest useing parchment paper to line the pan, makes it easier to remove the granola bars, but make sure you grease the paper so the granola dosent stick to it. I wrapped the bars in waxed paper, labeled them by flavor and put them in cookie tins with the following note:

Granola Bars might not seem like ahealthy, snack but when you make them at home they can be! This semester I completed my first cooking class, Food Science 101. I learned a lot, the greatest lesson being the confidence to cook and try new recipes. Through my studies of organic chemistry and human physiology, I have gained a better understanding of foods impact on the body which I can now apply to my cooking. I am really interested in antioxidants and urge everyone to get more in antioxidants in your diet.

Brown Rice Syrup is a complex carbohydrate like honey or maple syrup which can all be used to replace simple carbohydrates like sucrose (table sugar) or fructose (in fruits and high fructose corn syrup) in the diet.Complex carbohydrates have a lower glycemic index meaning they take longer to enter the blood stream. Simple carbs provide a ‘sugar rush’ while complex carbs provide a longer-term energy source for the body due to the time required to metabolize them.

Oats are another complex carbohydrate that contain high levels of protein and magnesium. About 60% of Americans are believed to be magnesium deficient which can lead to diabetes, hypertension and other issues. Magnesium is a mineral that makes up some important enzymes inour bodies. It’s involved in bone formation as well as muscle and nerve function. The recommended daily intake for Magnesium is 420mg

Cranberries contain the polyphenol Ellagic Acid.This antioxidant is also found in pomegranates, blueberries and goji berries.Antioxidants are free radical scavengers. They dissolve into the bloodstream quickly, hunt down loose electrons and neutralize them. In every cell in your body, you have mitochondria. These mitochondria take in oxygen and food particles andproduce energy (ATP) and a by-product of free electrons. As you age,the number of free electrons or radicals in your body increases. High numbers of free radicals are known to be linked to cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. Antioxidants are believed to help prevent these illnesses.

Did you know that Pumpkin Seeds are more protein dense than ground beef? They are a great plant basedsource of protein! They are also high in fiber, iron, antioxidants and magnesium. The proteins in pumpkin seeds contain two great amino acids: Tryptophan which makes serotonin in the brain, needed for mood and sleep regulation and Glutamate which makes the neurochemical GABA which has calming, anti-stresseffects

Walnuts have nearly double the number of antioxidants as other nuts like pecans or hazelnuts. They are also considered a superfood for their highlevels ofthe omega-3-fatty acid alpha-linolenicacid which is essential for brain health. Walnuts also contain protein, magnesium and B vitamins making them a good food for vegan/vegetarian diets.

Dark Chocolate: contains many antioxidants that milk chocolate doesn’t. Dark chocolate can lower blood pressure and is high in iron and magnesium.

Cashews: are another good source of magnesium and antioxidants. They also contain potassium, iron, protein and unsaturated fats which are good for you!

Coconuts: contain antioxidants as well. Another good source for iron and magnesium. Coconut oil is awesome because it has so many uses. It can be used in place of other oils in cooking and it’s also greatfor the skin, used in many lotions and washes.