Glutathione is an antioxidant which is produced in the cells. It is one of the most powerful antioxidants and is also known as “mother of antioxidants”.
So ladies’ what do you think, why it is important? In this blog, I will tell you why Glutathione is so important and what benefits it gives you along with the ways to increase its level in your body.
The good thing with glutathione is that it is produced in the body and the bad thing about glutathione is that its level in your body decreases too.
Following are the main reasons behind the depletion of the glutathione levels in your body.
- Stress
- Trauma
- Medications
- UV radiations
- Poor diet
- Pollution
Apart from these above factors, glutathione levels can also be affected by diseases like Cancer, Hepatitis Diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, etc.
So let’s have a look at 15 natural ways to increase your Glutathione Levels
How to Increase Your Glutathione Levels
1. By Eating Lean Protein
Glutathione is made up of three amino acids – Glycin, Glutamic acid, and Cysteine. Adding lean Protein in your diet will increase the amount of these three amino acids which will further improve the level of glutathione in your body. You can get high-quality lean protein from the dairy and poultry products. Having Soy and yogurt in your diet can also increase the glutathione levels significantly.
2. Daily Exercise
You can also increase glutathione levels in your body with just 30 minutes of exercise. It increases your metabolic rate and hence your body gets stimulated to produce more amount of glutathione which will further fight the toxins in your body. Four times a week exercise is enough for you to stay healthy and to maintain glutathione levels in your body.
3. Having Food rich in Sulfur
For the synthesis of glutathione, sulfur is necessary. Having poultry food items and by consuming meat you can fulfill the need for sulfur in your body. If you are a vegetarian you can have broccoli, cauliflower, mustard greens, Brussels sprouts, etc. These vegetarian items contain enough sulfur for the synthesis of glutathione in your body. Sulfur-rich foods reduce oxidative stress by increasing and synthesizing the amount of glutathione in the body.
4. Increasing Vitamin-E and Vitamin-C in your diet
Vitamin E and Vitamin C collectively work to increase the level of glutathione in your body. Vitamin C increases glutathione in RBCs and Lymphocytes whereas Vitamin E recovers the damage done by the excess reactive oxygen in the body. It also protects the enzymes which are totally dependent on glutathione.
Try to add lemon in your salad or Oranges in your breakfast as they are rich in Vitamin C along with almonds, avocados and wheat germ which are rich in Vitamin E.
5. Turmeric Extract
Turmeric or Haldi is an herb which contains curcumin as its main ingredient. Curcumin has the ability to increase glutathione levels in the body. This yellow color substance has various other health benefits too. It can act as an anti-inflammatory agent.
A lot many people also add a small amount of turmeric in milk which has healing properties. Doesn’t matter how you are going to take it, just add some turmeric in your daily diet, it will boost glutathione level in a significant manner.
6. Sleep
Proper body rest and sleep is a must for overall body health. Lack of sleep can lead to hormonal imbalance and oxidative stress which will decrease the glutathione level in your body. Get enough sleep and give your body proper rest so that it can produce more glutathione in your body.
7. Consuming Selenium rich food
Chicken, Beef, cheese, brown rice are the best source of selenium. Selenium is one of the most important minerals which helps in the functioning of Glutathione in the body. 55 mcg of selenium is recommended in adults to increase the amount of glutathione in the body.
8. Milk Thistle
Milk Thistle is a herbal supplement which consists of three compounds collectively known as silymarin. It is extracted from a plant known as Silybum marianum. This herb can improve the level of glutathione in your body very fast.
Milk Thistle prevents cell damage and hence glutathione level is increased in the body. If you consume alcohol then this herb is especially for you as this protects your liver from the alien toxins and also improves the immunity.
9. Avoid Alcohol
You may or may not know that having alcohol can also damage your lung by decreasing glutathione levels along with damaging liver and brain. Having alcohol increases oxidative stress in the lungs which further lead to a lower level of glutathione in the lungs. Alcohol has a very adverse effect on your body, mainly on your liver and lungs.
10. Having Whey Protein
Sometimes it becomes difficult to have a balanced diet and we are not able to consume a sufficient amount of protein which our body needs. In that case, Whey protein acts as an angel for the people having a tight schedule. You can add whey protein in your banana shake or you can take it directly with water as per your preference, it takes hardly 5 minutes to prepare and consume. Protein is very important for our body and maintenance of glutathione levels in the body. It counters the oxidative stress and repairs the cell damage.
11. Eat foods which are naturally rich in Glutathione
The human body itself produces glutathione automatically but that amount of glutathione is not sufficient so you can have foods which are already rich in glutathione for example Avocados, okra, spinach, etc. These are the natural sources of glutathione which can reduce the amount of oxidative stress in your body and can enhance the cell growth too. These foods which are already rich in glutathione can also prevent mouth cancer.
12. Having beef liver
Beef liver is a rich source of selenium which boosts the glutathione levels in the body. It has enough amount of protein as well which is helpful in synthesize of glutathione. Researches have also shown that if you consume the liver of a grass-fed cow than it will improve the level of glutathione in your body.
13. Drinking Bone Broth
Bone broth contains glycine which is a structural component of glutathione. It also shows some gut healing capabilities. Bone broth contains minerals and amino acids which are anti-inflammatory in nature. So this is another source of glutathione
14. Multivitamins
Multivitamins can play an important role in the production of glutathione in the body. It is not possible to get everything from diet only, multivitamins contain enough and essential vitamins like Vitamin E and Vitamin C which increases the level of glutathione in the body. So if you think you are not getting enough glutathione from food than you can add multivitamins which is perfectly natural and safe.
15. Have a look at your surroundings and environment
Pollution is one of the major cause which affects the level of glutathione in the human body. It increases oxidative stress which is inversely proportional to the glutathione production. Make sure that you are living in a healthy environment or you can have some preventive measures to counter the pollution in your surroundings. You can carry a mask when you enter a polluted area. These small measures make big differences in terms of your health.
Read More, Chamomile tea: benefits and side effects
Glutathione has a wide range of health benefits like it helps to fight against various infections, helps to reduce the impact of diabetes, improves heart functioning, improves skin health, etc. So make sure to have enough glutathione in your diet.
“STAY HEALTHY”