More than Macros: Alpha-Lipoic Acid
With the big “count your macros” trend right now, I feel like many of us have lost sight of the nutritional content of food that expands beyond carbs, protein and fat. Let me tell you folks, there is much more to food than just these three macros! For example, vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidant content…all of these are very important components of food that seem to be frequently overlooked and undervalued. In this blog, I want to focus on one nutritional component in particular: alpha-lipoic acid. I’ll spare you the chemistry on what defines this component is, but I certainly wish to make you aware of the health benefits that it has to offer. Alpha-lipoic acid has been shown to improve insulin function, decrease inflammation, offer antioxidant properties, and even recycle other antioxidants already in our systems. Red meats, particularly organ meats, are the richest source of this God-send of a nutrient. So, if you aren’t already consuming red meat approximately one time per week, hopefully this evidence of its alpha-lipoic acid content will prompt you to start!
