• Main
• Diet
• Diet 2
• Diet 3
• Diet 4
• Diet 5
• Diet 6
• Diet 7
• Diet 8
• Diet 9
• Diet 10
• Diet 11
• Diet 12
• Diet 13
• Diet 14
• Diet 15
• Diet 16
• Diet 17
• Diet 18
• Diet 19
• Diet 20
• Diet 21
• Diet 22
• Diet 23
• Diet 24
• Diet 25
• Diet 26
• Diet 27
• Diet 28
• Diet 29
• Diet 30
• Diet 31
• Diet 32
• Diet 33
• Diet 34
• Diet 35
• Diet 36
• Diet 37
• Diet 38
• Diet 39
• Diet 40
• Diet 41
• Diet 42
• Diet 43
• Diet 44
• Diet 45
• Diet 46
• Diet 47
• Diet 48
• Diet 49
• Diet 50
• Diet 51
• Diet 52
• Diet 53
• Diet 54
• Diet 55
• Diet 56
• Diet 57
• Diet 58
• Diet 59
• Diet 60
• Diet 61
• Diet 62
• Diet 63
• Diet 64
• Diet 65
• Diet 66
• Diet 67
• Diet 68
• Diet 69
• Diet 70
• Diet 71
• Diet 72
• Diet 73
• Diet 74
• Diet 75
• Diet 76
• Diet 77
• Diet 78
• Diet 79
• Diet 80
• Diet 81
• Diet 82
• Diet 83
• Diet 84
• Diet 85
• Diet 86

For example, large amounts of vitamin A can contribute to liver damage. Excess doses of vitamin D can contribute to kidney damage. Iron, zinc, chromium, and selenium can be toxic at just five times the RDA. The most common cause of poisoning deaths among children is adult-strength iron supplements. 3. Use vitamin and mineral supplements as nutritional insurance. The Total Health program provides your body with the essential micronutri- ents it needs from two sources: the food you eat and a high-quality vitamin and mineral supplement. Choosing the Right Vitamin and Mineral Supplements It's important to consider the following ingredients when choosing high- quality vitamin and mineral supplements. If you're confused about what kind of supplement to purchase, refer to Appendix B, "Recommended Products," in the back of the book for my top recommendations of quality vitamin and mineral supplements. Antioxidants Antioxidants protect your body from exposure to everyday environmental factors such as cigarette smoke, air pollution, and sunlight, which stimu- late free radical production. Free radicals-natural by-products of cell me- tabolism, the process by which cells use oxygen to create energy-are chemically reactive oxygen molecules that are missing an electron. Because electrons prefer to travel in pairs, free radicals aggressively steal electrons from healthy molecules. The electron-stealing chain reaction that results produces compounds that cause cellular damage. Scientists estimate that each cell in the body may be pounded with as many as 10,000 free radical hits a day! Your body does its best to counter free radicals naturally, but over time free radical buildup takes its toll. It's no wonder that many scientists link damage by free radicals to cancer, heart disease, cataracts, and premature aging. Antioxidants counter free radical damage by supplying extra electrons that bind with and stabilize free radical molecules. Antioxidant-rich foods and supplements provide the body with the ammunition it needs to fend off the nonstop free radical bombardment. Some of the most commonly known antioxidant nutrients are vitamins A, C, and E. Phytonutrients Phytonutrients, or phytochemicals, are nutrients from plants that promote a variety of beneficial functions. Many exhibit powerful antioxidant prop- erties. Scientists are working feverishly to mine the largely unexplored po- tential that phytonutrients hold for medicine. Some of the research has revealed amazing possibilities. One class of phytonutrients found in grape seeds, for example, exhibits antioxidant properties in the body for up to three days. More important, it is able to cross the blood-brain barrier. Brain tissue is particularly suscepti- ble to free radical-induced oxidation. This phytonutrient also inhibits en- zymes that break down vitamins С and E into less useful nutrients. Some of the best phytonutrients are proanthocyanidins (found in grape seed extract), sulforaphane (found in broccoli extract), and lycopene (found in tomato extract).