Michelle Moquin's "A day in the life of…"

Good morning!

John: Thanks. I hope you and else everyone who celebrated Easter enjoyed it!

Readers: We decided to head into San Francisco. I wanted to shop and Doug was planning on seeing a movie down the street. Why I thought stores would be open on Easter just because I wanted a day to finally shop for myself for once, I am clueless. It didn’t dawn on me when I was relaxing in the Bloomingdales mall enjoying the view of the old Emporium rotunda, until a guard informed me that the mall was closed. The doors were only open for access to the movie theater.

My first thought was, “Bummer, what should I do until Doug gets out of his movie?” And then I thought hey, the theater is open; why not enjoy a movie too? So I did. That was my Easter. A Movie, and the rest of the day was spent preparing for a presentation that I am giving tomorrow. A very unusual Easter for me but I enjoyed it.

So…What’s up with my readers? I tell you what’s up with me. Astaxanthin. I’ve been taking this little gem of an antioxidant for awhile now. What have you done for you lately? See if this is for you.

Another good write by Dr. Mercola:

By now, I believe most everyone interested in natural health has heard of antioxidants and their health benefits.*

But just like many things the mainstream media and consumer marketers latch onto these days, antioxidants have become a buzz word for selling hype and added profits.

That’s not to say that many foods and supplements don’t contain some antioxidant properties.

But there are bigger questions to be asked when it comes to antioxidants.

For instance, how powerful is the antioxidant in question? If you consume foods with low antioxidant levels (antioxidant capacity is not always identified by marketers), you might need to eat massive amounts to have any effect on those pesky free radicals.

On the other hand, if you consume foods and supplements with highly concentrated amounts of natural antioxidants, you won’t need to consume as much and you have a better chance of protecting yourself from free radical damage.*

So, how do you know which sources have the most concentrated natural antioxidants?

First of all, I must reiterate how, in my opinion, eating a wholesome organic diet based on your Nutritional Type (NT) is key to optimal health. Once you have this under your belt, you can then consider supplementation to boost your vitality even more.*

And when it comes to antioxidants, I believe I’ve identified a…

Natural Super-Antioxidant Like No Other

Up until now, this natural super-nutrient has not received the attention and notoriety I believe it deserves.

What if you could…

• Reduce the appearance of wrinkles, dry skin, age spots, and freckles?*
• Boost your brain and nervous system protection from free radicals?*
• Help reduce the visible signs of aging?*
• Promote your joint and skeletal system health?*
• Potentially enhance your skin protection from sun-induced free radicals?*

And if you’re an athlete, or even a weekend warrior, what if you could…

• Increase your strength and stamina?*
• Improve your endurance?*
• Enable faster recovery from exercise?*
• Reduce joint and muscle soreness after a vigorous workout?*
• Enhance your visual acuity and depth perception?*
• Something you might be interested in, but sounds almost too good to be true?

There is a natural super-antioxidant nutrient that can help you do all this… and more.* And it’s not just based on ‘hear-say.’ Clinical trials have researched the solid benefits of this powerful antioxidant.*

What this Super-Nutrient Does for Salmon, It Could Do for YOU*
Most folks don’t have much of a clue why salmon have such distinctive coloring. There’s something very unique that gives them their unique reddish-pink color.

If you guessed it is an antioxidant… you are correct.

But it’s not just any antioxidant… and it’s not only responsible for salmon coloring, but also provides them with the endurance they need to swim for several days against the current to reach their spawning grounds.

What Makes Pink Flamingos Pink?

Many people aren’t aware that baby flamingos are born white. They only obtain their pink color once they eat food that is loaded with astaxanthin.

Astaxanthin belongs to a class of naturally occurring pigments call carotenoids.

So, what are carotenoids?

Carotenoids are the compounds in your food that provide…

• Brilliant colors from…
• Beautifully-green sea grasses to…
• Stunning red beets to…
• Spectacular yellow bell peppers… that possess…
• Potent antioxidant properties crucial to your health*
• Even though there are more than 700 naturally occurring carotenoids, most people are probably only familiar with a few and the most common one is beta-carotene..

So…

Where Do Carotenoids Come From?

Many carotenoids may be easily obtained simply by eating a good diet rich in fresh organic produce. However, the carotenoid that possesses the super-antioxidant I’m referring to is challenging to come by.

In fact, there are only 2 known sources…

• A very unique source of microalgae called Haematoccous pluvialis and…
• Sea creatures (salmon, and krill, for example) that consume the microalgae

To take advantage of this powerful antioxidant the way salmon do, you would need to find and consume the type of microalgae identified above (highly unlikely), or eat a healthy supply of salmon itself.

The challenge with salmon is to get adequate amounts of the antioxidant, either expensive sockeye salmon needs to be consumed, or large amounts of other types of salmon (almost 2 pounds of Atlantic salmon).

Additionally, even if it’s wild salmon, there are always concerns with mercury and other heavy metal content.

I have a much more practical solution for you to get adequate amounts of this super-antioxidant artillery… to help you benefit like salmon do*… coming up.

But first let’s explore more about what this super-antioxidant can do in…

Little ‘Miracles’ To Help Reduce the Signs of Aging*

I mentioned above how this super-antioxidant helps provide amazing anti-aging benefits.*

Well, just how does it do all that?

It all gets back to the relatively unknown carotenoid… now believed to be one of the most powerful antioxidants found in nature. As a source of antioxidants and vitamin A, carotenoids are critical to the photosynthesis process. Plus, as antioxidants, they protect plants and organisms from free radical damage caused by light and oxygen.

How does this apply to you?

Well, by consuming plants or organisms containing the carotenoid pigments, you can gain a similar protective benefit.*

One area this super-nutrient has shown potential is in helping reduce the signs of normal aging.*

As you probably already know, I strongly believe in using sun exposure to get your body to produce critical amounts of vitamin D. However, over exposure and burning is not a good thing… and can be risky to your health.

By adding antioxidants to your diet to help combat sun-induced free radicals in your skin, you can help to potentially avoid…

• Premature skin aging*
• Excessive wrinkling*
• Dryness*
• Excessive number of age spots*
• Proliferation of freckles*
• Here’s another area where astaxanthin may provide potential benefits*…

How to Help Maintain Healthy Function of this Vital Bodily Process*

There’s a vital natural biological process that occurs inside your body every day.

In many cases, this natural biological process, known better as your immune system function, is a very beneficial to help improve your health.

But, just like anything else, too much of a good thing is not always good. When immune system mediators triggered by this process occasionally get out of control, it could effect your overall health.

Thus, it’s important to help maintain your immune response at a healthy level.*

Five of the most effective things I recommend you do to help promote a healthy immune response are…

• Eat a healthy organic diet based on your Nutritional Type (NT)
• Exercise regularly to help control your weight
• Avoid vitamin D deficiency
• Keep your stress levels in check
• Avoid smoking
• Plus, there is one more thing I believe you can do to help promote an optimal immune response… and that’s to consume the carotenoid and super-antioxidant called astaxanthin.*

I am so convinced of this that I have been consuming astaxanthin every day since I first learned of its incredible benefits.*

And here’s how astaxanthin can help give your stamina a boost*…

An Athlete’s Secret Weapon?*

If you’ve taken my advice on using different types of exercise as key elements in an overall health and fitness plan, you know how you can occasionally have aches and soreness after a good workout.

Well, as an athlete, or even a weekend warrior, natural astaxanthin can potentially…

• Help increase strength and improve your overall stamina and endurance*
• Enable quicker recovery after your workouts*
• Reduce your joint and muscle soreness caused by vigorous exercise*
• Improve visual acuity and depth perception*
• Help protect skin from overexposure due to sun-induced free radicals*
• So, how does astaxanthin potentially enhance your endurance and recovery?*

One key area astaxanthin has a positive effect is on your mitochondria.*

Mitochondria are little intracellular powerhouses within your body. They produce up to 95% of your body’s energy.

So, it should not be surprising mitochondria cells are found in your muscle tissue.

That’s where you have one of the greatest demands for intense bursts of energy.

But there is a downside to this energy-producing activity… it can generate highly reactive free radicals.

These free radicals can damage your cell membranes and oxidize your DNA. The more strenuous the workout, the more free radicals you produce. The bottom line… you can end up with tired and sore muscles.

And that’s where astaxanthin comes in.

As a powerful antioxidant, astaxanthin has been shown to effectively scavenge free radicals from muscle tissue and help reduce singlet oxygen (particular type of ‘bad’ oxidation).

This is how astaxanthin can potentially give your strength, stamina, and endurance a healthful boost.*

So, how does astaxanthin stack up against other nutrients rich with antioxidants?…

How Does this Astaxanthin Compare to Other Antioxidants?

There are many properties that make this super-carotenoid unique.

Astaxanthin compares astoundingly well to other nutrients and powerful antioxidants when it comes to free radical scavenging and neutralizing singlet oxygen.*

When it comes to free radical scavenging, astaxanthin can be as much as…

• 65 times more powerful than vitamin C*
• 54 times stronger than beta-carotene*
• 14 times more potent than vitamin E*

Plus, astaxanthin has been shown to be more effective than other carotenoids and other nutrients at ‘singlet oxygen quenching’ by being up to…

• 550 times more powerful than vitamin E*
• 800 times stronger than CoQ10*
• 6000 times greater than vitamin C*
• 550 times more powerful than green tea catechins*
• 11 times stronger than beta-carotene*

Astaxanthin was even found to be as much as 2.75 stronger than lutein with regard to singlet oxygen quenching.

Pretty amazing antioxidant… wouldn’t you agree?*

The above comparisons have been made against some incredible nutrients in their own right. Yet, astaxanthin blows them away when it comes down to effective free radical scavenging and singlet oxygen quenching.*

And here’s even more on how astaxanthin is potentially so effective…

• Able to cross the blood-brain barrier and the blood-retinal barrier (beta-carotene and some others don’t do this)…*
• Protects your eyes, brain, and nervous system from oxidative stress*
• Potentially reduces DNA damage caused by free radicals*

Any questions why I’m simply amazed at the healthful power of this super-antioxidant?* To date, I’ve never seen anything like it.

So, all you have to do is run out to your local health store or vitamin shop to pick up this extraordinary nutrient.

Correct?

Well, it’s not that simple and there are some warnings and issues you should be aware of…

Warning: Make Sure You Get the REAL Deal

Like all nutrients, you need to be on the look out for synthetic varieties and, in my opinion, avoid them like the plague.

Fortunately with astaxanthin, this is not as much an issue with supplements. How so? Well, that I’m aware of, synthetic astaxanthin is not used in any supplements for consumption by human beings.

This is the good news…

The bad news is synthetic astaxanthin is still the most commonly found form in animal feeds. So, if you believe you’re eating healthy by consuming salmon, but the salmon is not ‘wild’ or ‘naturally colored,’ there’s a good chance you’re consuming synthetic astaxanthin indirectly.

So, what’s so bad about that?

Well, the majority of synthetic astaxanthin is produced from highly-processed petrochemicals. That means you could be consuming some forms of synthetic chemicals if you eat farmed salmon.

See, fish farmers need a way to color the salmon so they look fresh (attractive pinkish-orange-red color).

That’s where often times synthetic astaxanthin fits the bill. Some aquaculture companies are considering using natural astaxanthin because it’s healthier for the salmon and has superior pigmentation advantages. There’s only one main barrier preventing most from doing this… it costs more.

So, when buying salmon, I recommend you make sure to find wild Pacific salmon because it contains astaxanthin that is…

• 20 times stronger than synthetic astaxanthin
• 400% higher in quantity than farmed salmon
• 100% natural in the salmon’s pigment, and not synthetic

But even if you can afford (very expensive) and find genuine wild Pacific salmon, there still is a risk of high levels of mercury and other unwanted toxins.

Plus, you’d have to eat several ounces every single day to get the dose of astaxanthin that is present in the natural supplement I’ll introduce to coming up…

So, what, in my opinion, is the best way to get natural astaxanthin?

Why Supplementation May Be One of Your Best Approaches

To me, one of the best ways to get natural astaxanthin is through supplementation. Don’t get me wrong, wild Pacific salmon is an excellent alternative.

But as a reminder and due to the following, consuming wild Pacific salmon (particularly, sockeye) might not be completely practical because…

• Wild Pacific salmon is expensive for most people
• You’d have to eat approximately 3-4 ounces per day, every day, to get the approximate equivalent of 4mg of a natural astaxanthin supplement
• Wild salmon may contain mercury and other risky heavy metals

You may already have recognized the name ‘astaxanthin,’ because I’ve mentioned it before on my site in reference to krill oil, my favorite source of animal based omega-3 fatty acids.

Well, even with my krill oil having one of the highest concentrations of astaxanthin on the market today, new research shows you can benefit from even higher amounts.

And that’s why I recommend a natural astaxanthin supplement for those interested in the potential health benefits.*

So, with all this said, here’s my recommendations on…

What to Look for in a Natural Formula

I’ve already reviewed above some of the potential pitfalls with some of the sources of astaxanthin.

Here’s a simple list of factors that I recommend you consider when finding a natural supplement formula…

• Make sure the astaxanthin formula is created from natural marine microalgae and not some form of fungus, or some other less effective form.

• Due to the fact astaxanthin is best absorbed when taken with a ‘fatty’ meal, look for a formula that contains some sort of natural oil or fatty acid that will help maximize your absorption. Without this additional ingredient, your absorption could be poor and not optimal.

• Don’t just settle for what’s necessarily on the label of the bottle. Dig deeper into finding out more info on how the manufacturer guarantees stability and efficacy of the formula.

• In addition, make sure the manufacturer can provide solid evidence they don’t use chemical solvents or preservatives in their formulation processes.

• Due to new research, most recommendations for daily dosages of natural astaxanthin can now range from 4-8mg. So, look for at least a 4mg minimum serving size so you won’t have to take as many capsules.

As you know, krill oil does contain astaxanthin (my formula = 600 mcg per serving). But due to recent research, I recommend you consider a separate astaxanthin supplement to complement krill oil.

*********

To read more about Dr. Mercola’s brand of Astaxanthin click here.

Disclaimer: I am not taking nor endorsing Dr. Mercola’s brand of Astaxanthin. I am only providing information so that if this interests you, you can do your own research and speak to your doctor about taking this and any other supplements and/or medications. Please see my complete disclaimer located in the right hand column of my blog.

Larry: I’m with you too. I think plastic bottles should just be banned completely, for water and all drinks if possible. If people really want to drink lousy bottled water, have it only available in those huge containers for dispensers or for sitting on the counter. Let people fill up in in their own cup or stainless steal water bottle as Doug suggested. Products for our so-called “convenience” is ruining our planet.

I know this is extreme but hey, we’re ruining the planet in extreme ways every day. It’s going to take extreme measures to make up for all we’ve been doing.

Ryuji: Thank you. Although I have always wanted to visit Japan, I agree with you that I would not like it very much right now. That thought saddens me. The entire thing saddens me.

With respect to the movies…you never know. :) I HOPE Sony is working out well for you. And I wish you and yours good health.

Doug: Did I ever tell you, you spoil Lucy? :)

Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

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