Introduction

The importance of antioxidants and polyphenols is vastly underappreciated in the

general public. Their importance in chronic disease is underappreciated as well.
Even within the world of advanced detoxification, antioxidants aren’t discussed
nearly enough.

So bravo to you for grabbing this eBook and learning with me! If you incorporate
a even few new things you learn here, it has the potential to improve your
longevity and quality of life.

Meet Bridgit
Bridgit Danner has been a licensed acupuncturist since
2004 and a certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition
practitioner since 2015.

After losing everything to toxic mold, Bridgit now

educates about toxins on how to detoxify with a
functional healthcare approach through her online
community at bridgitdanner.com. She is the founder of
a line of supplements, Functional Detox Products.

She is also the author of The Ultimate Toxic Mold Recovery Guide: Take Back
Your Home, Health & Life, available on Amazon.

Disclaimer
This eBook is for educational purposes only and not intended to replace the
relationship with your primary care physician. Please discuss any new
potential supplements with your provider.
Why Are Antioxidants Important for Detox?
When you think about what detoxifies your body, you probably first think of the
liver. While the liver plays a key role, detox at the cellular level and even
the extracellular space throughout the body is critically important
and really your first line of defense.

A trigger of dysregulation, decline and inflammation in the body is oxidation.

Oxidation happens when a compound loses one or more electrons and becomes a
free radical.

The free radical floats around looking to make itself whole again. Hopefully it
encounters an antioxidant, which donates an electron to calm this bad boy.

Because if it does not, it will bump into healthy tissue, cells or cellular
components and cause oxidative damage.

Free radicals are produced naturally from cellular processes, but they are also
produced by:
● Radiation
● Excitotoxins in processed foods
● Mycotoxins
● Excess exercise
● Infectious waste in the body
● Heavy metals
● And more.
Some antioxidants are produced by the body, but they decrease with age. Other
antioxidants need to be consumed in the diet. Lastly, polyphenols in foods can
serve as antioxidants, though they aren’t classified as vitamins.
What’s most important is that your free radical to antioxidant ratio is
favorable. If not, oxidative stress can occur, leading to an array of conditions
from brain fog to cancer.

Either too many toxins/free radicals or too few antioxidants can be the issue…or
both at the same time!

Meet the Antioxidants

There are now thousands of identified antioxidants and polyphenols. For the sake
of keeping this ebook short but oh-so-sweet, I’m going to cover:

● The five network antioxidants

● One superfood supplement
● Fantastic food, herb and beverage ideas

Before your brain gets full, let’s start with diet. Please know this is a partial list.

Beverages: Spices:
Matcha Parsley
Black tea Elderberry
Unsweetened cranberry juice Turmeric
Apple cider Cumin
Green tea Pepper
Coffee (organic and without milk) Basil
Hibiscus tea Clove
Ginger tea Cinnamon
Peppermint tea Rosemary
Foods:
Dark chocolate & cocoa Blackberries
Raspberries Blueberries
Cherries Strawberry
Apple Broccoli
Spinach Carrots
Grapes Radish
Beets Plums
Beans Dark, leafy greens
Yams Squash
Dates Dried apricots
Potatoes Pecans
Sunflower seeds Pistachios
Tips:
If you want to purchase some of these foods, visit the tea and spice section, and
the bulk foods. Buy nuts raw and keep in the fridge for freshness.

When you buy fruits and veggies, make sure every color is represented in your
cart. Choose organic and wash produce.

You can buy fresh ginger, garlic and even turmeric. You can buy fresh herbs like
chives, basil, parsley and thyme, or grow them at home! Powdered is ok too but
keep it fresh (no 5-year-old spices).

Create a routine. Examples:

● Have berries and seeds at breakfast.
● Sprinkle cinnamon on yams, coconut yogurt and coffee.
● Have a cup of black tea after breakfast.
● Have a green salad with colorful toppings at lunch.
● Have a green tea and chocolate in the afternoon.
● Have almond butter and an apple as a snack, or dried fruit and nuts.
● Have 1 roasted and 1 sauteed veggie with dinner.
● Have an herbal tea in the evening.

You’ll be well on your way to a day full of polyphenols!

The Network Antioxidants
In my lust to better understand antioxidants, I came across this gem of a book:
The Antioixdant Miracle: Put Lipoic Acid, CoQ10, Pycnogenol, and Vitamins E
and C to Work for You, by Dr. Lester Packer and Carol Colman.

Dr. Packer has contributed decades of research into antioxidants. Though this
book was published in 1999, I feel the information therein hasn’t gotten out
enough, so I’m happy to continue to spread the word.

Highlighted in the book are five antioxidants that work together to support one
another. They are: Lipoic Acid, CoEnzyme Q10, Vitamins E & C, and Glutathione.

You’ll learn how these antioxidants support each other as we cover each one.

Since we’re on the topic of food, I’ll start with network antioxidants that come
from food.

1. Vitamin C
Did you know that humans are one of only 4 animals that don’t make their own
vitamin C? That’s right; your dog makes his own vitamin C but you cannot.

Vitamin C deficiency can have severe effects. Remember your history lessons and
sailors getting scurvy and dying? That was vitamin C deficiency. In the 16th to
18th centuries, it caused an estimated 2 million deaths of sailors. (source)
● Protects DNA of cells and sperm
● Regenerates vitamin E
● Works with vitamin E to prevent heart disease
● Essential for collagen production
● Immuno-supportive
● Cancer-protective
● Depleted by strenuous exercise
● Humans and only 4 other animals don’t produce their own vitamin C!
● Beneficial in diabetes and cataracts
Here’s a cool factoid from The Antioxidant Miracle,

“Since the oxidized form of vitamin C is almost identical to glucose, it gets a free
ride on the glucose express and is also rapidly taken into the cells. Within the
cells, oxidized vitamin C is recycled into antioxidant vitamin C and is returned
to the plasma to protect proteins and lipoproteins.”

Food sources of vitamin C include: kiwi, oranges, red peppers, strawberries,

broccoli, and lemons. (source)

Vitamin C makes for an affordable supplement to support adrenal health,

immunity, exercise recovery and more. A good supplement will pair it with a
bioflavonoid for better absorption.

As you cannot store vitamin C in the body, getting a few servings a day from food
or supplements is a good idea.

2. Vitamin E
Vitamin E may not sound sexy but it’s actually really cool. It’s a tiny little pill
that’s easy to take and I really feel good about taking it.

● Benefits the brain, skin and heart

● Benefits arthritis and inflammation
● Helps prevent prostate, lung and breast cancers
● Identified in 1922
● Found in 1954 to prevent oxidation of fats in our body, related to heart
disease
● Speak to your doctor about adding vitamin E if you have heart disease
● Good for immunity, vision, & exercise recovery
● Can cross cell membranes
● Is transported by lipoproteins
● Comes in a few supplement forms

Food sources include: peanuts, almonds, pumpkin, barley and leafy greens.
3. Glutathione
This detox agent you probably have heard of, and for good reason. Under
conditions of chronic toxicity, such as living in a moldy home, glutathione tends
to deplete when you need it the most.

There is a lot of debate about the best form of glutathione, but what’s most
important is that you take an absorbable form. Also doing coffee enemas helps
recycle glutathione.

● The most abundant water-soluble antioxidant in the body

● Recycles vitamin C
● Detoxifies pollutants; supports the liver
● Supports immunity
● Supports protein synthesis
● Can reduce chronic inflammation
● Depleted by strenuous exercise and alcohol consumption
● Benefits longevity
● Good sleep and regular exercise support it

Food sources: glutathione is found in low amounts in some foods and some
herbs can support its production or recycling.

Food sources include: okra, spinach, avocado, milk thistle, turmeric. (source)

4. Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)

An antioxidant you may know less about, but certainly should get to know, is
ALA.

ALA is so good at recycling glutathione that Dr. Packer recommends it over

glutathione supplementation. (I will say there has been a lot of advancement in
glutathione formulation since 1999 though!)

More affordable than glutathione, ALA has some special properties to support
metabolism for energy and to tamp down nerve pain.
 ● A fatty acid that helps turn sugars into energy, and works as an antioxidant
● Production declines with age
● Lipoic acid boosts all network antioxidants & recycle itself
● An effective way to boost glutathione levels
● Beneficial for blood sugar management and neuropathy
● Prevents brain aging (source)
● Breaks down sugar for ATP energy production
● Discovered in 1937, recognized as an antioxidant in 1989
● Helps prevent cataracts
● Good for heart health
● Benefits immunity

Food sources of ALA: Made by the body, and found in small amounts in
potato, red meat and spinach.

5. CoQ10
CoQ10 you hopefully have heard of–it got popular in mainstream news for heart
health benefits (all true) and it’s a staple for our detox & aging clients for cellular
energy.

CoQ10 is something I discovered in my mold recovery and I still take it today.

● Recycles vitamin E
● Rejuvenates brain cells
● Made by the body; production declines with age
● Negatively affected by toxins
● Quenches free radicals made in energy production
● Protects lipids from free radical damage
● Protects skin from UV radiation along with other antioxidants
● Energizes the heart muscle
● Is depleted by statin drugs
● Benefits gum disease
● Benefits blood sugar handling–monitor any diabetes medications

Food sources of CoQ10: The best source is organ meat, especially heart! Also
other meats and fatty fish. (source)
Honorable Mention: Grapeseed Extract
I wanted to give a final shout-out to one of the many superfood antioxidants. Yes,
you can have colorful foods and herbs in your diet, but if you are really dealing for
health recovery, you may want to take more superfoods in supplement form.

Yes, we all heard of the antioxidant benefits of wine! And there is truth to it–the
flesh and skin of wine contains antioxidants. But alcohol is also toxic to the brain
and wine can have a lot of additives & herbicides that leave you feeling like crap.

Enter grapeseed. The seeds of grapes are the most concentrated in antioxidants.
So, yes, go ahead and chew/eat the seed in seeded grapes. But since it’s doubtful
you are chewing grape seeds daily, consider them in a supplement as well.

Offerings at Functional Detox Products

We offer a growing collection of antioxidants for our clients, many of whom are
recovering from severe toxicity and infection. This includes:
● Mi Detox Electrolytes (with vitamin C, blackberry powder and more)
● Glutathione Synergy (with a glutathione precursor + a special
glutathione compound)
● Mi CoQ10 (very popular in our community)
● Broccoli Sprout and Seed (a phytochemical rich detox superfood)
● Hi-Potency Multivitamin (with C and E)

Find the products here: https://functionaldetoxproducts.com/antioxidants

And you can use this coupon code to try any or all of them one time! ANTIOX15

Conclusion
Thank you so much for reading this eBook! I hope you will pick a few things to
add to your life to increase your antioxidant count.

If you have other health questions, you are welcome to explore our blog at
bridgitdanner.com or schedule an appointment with our functional health
coaches HERE.