John Arts Abundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz

I run a mile from anyone who tells me they have some sort of silver bullet for good health. There are no shortcuts. People with the best health statistics are those who have made a lifelong commitment to eat healthy foods, who exercise and have a strong personal value system.

For me, this means eating good food- a diet rich in plant foods, exercising regularly, supplementing wisely and having strong family and spiritual values.

In saying that, there is no doubt there are some compounds found in foods that have a disproportionately positive impact on our health.

I spent from age 27 to 41 struggling with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, out of which developed serious respiratory problems affecting both lungs and sinuses.

While my journey to good health needed a true holistic view, there is no doubt that one particular nutrient had a hugely positive impact on my health. I am referring to a class of plant-based antioxidants called proanthocyanidins (also known as OPC) which belong to the greater bioflavonoid family of antioxidants.

In nature, these compounds are mainly found protecting the most important and delicate parts of plants - usually the seeds and bark. Unfortunately seeds are usually discarded from food and most people tend not to eat much tree bark.

The highest concentrations of these flavanols are in the pigments that colour red wine grape seeds. These purple pigments are nature's wonder antioxidants. In our diet the best sources are good quality red wine and properly-made dark red grape juice. If you choose not to supplement I recommend drinking good organic dark red grape juice daily and in smaller quantities, good red wine.

If you do choose to take supplements you have the benefit of not only targeting specific doses, you can also select from companies that use the best extracts in their antioxidant supplements.

I must have formulated over 15 antioxidant products using these compounds and have no doubt they are largely responsible for the improvements people obtain. This is especially true to improvements in circulation, eye health, energy levels, reductions in joint and tendon inflammation, memory improvements and a number of others. I generally recommend 100-400mg of pure OPC daily dependent on age, weight and health status.

John Arts is the founder of Abundant Health. For product information visit www.abundant.co.nz If you have questions or would like a free health plan you can contact John at john@johnarts.co.nz or phone 07 578 9051 or 0800 423 559. You can join his newsletter at www.johnarts.co.nz Read more from John at www.sunlive.co.nz