What is glutathione, also why should you take it?
"Poor diet, pollution, drugs, stress, trauma, infection, and electromagnetic radiation also contribute to glutathione depletion," writes Dr. Mark Hyman in a recent Instagram post. Of course, we all know that antioxidants are essential for our health. But there is one specific antioxidant, glutathione, that experts like Dr. Mark Hyman, a 14-time NYT bestseller, primary care physician, and international leader in functional medicine, have been called the "mother of all antioxidants."
In one of his most recent Instagram posts, Dr. Hyman glutathione is "an important soldier in our line of defense." He says that in addition to our bodies producing glutathione itself, "we even have mechanisms to recycle and reuse it."
"But what happens when our poison load gets too high?" Hyman writes: "Our genetic detoxification software is designed to deal with naturally occurring toxins, not the 85,000 industrial chemicals found in our environment today. Unfortunately, poor diet, pollution, drugs, stress, trauma, infections, and electromagnetic radiation contribute to glutathione depletion. As a result, toxins build up and damage our cells." He adds, "We need to update our detox software, but we are under the sway of evolution, which is taking longer than we have. Fortunately, there are ways to increase your levels naturally through food as medicine, specific supplements, and lifestyle changes. In his contribution, Dr. Hyman's top nine tips for increasing glutathione intake:
Eat foods that contain sulfur.
Dr. Hyman suggests eating vegetables like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, cabbage, and dark leafy vegetables like kale, leafy greens, watercress, and bok choy, and "scallion greens" like onions, garlic, onions, scallions. Onion.
Mash or chop vegetables
It helps activate glucosinolates, "A bioactive molecule that enhances the enzymatic activity of glutathione." He adds that you can also get them raw for maximum benefits by steaming or eating them raw. Eat foods rich in selenium.
Foods like Brazil nuts, wild-caught fish, and grass-fed beef increase the selenium level needed to fuel glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme that scavenges free radicals from within cells.