ALA, alpha lipoic acid, is a powerful energy giving antioxidant made by most living creatures. Because of this it is possible to increase your natural ALA levels by making small changes to your diet. The question then becomes, is increasing your ALA through diet something you should consider doing?
What is ALA Good For?
ALA is a powerful antioxidant. It seeks out free radicles, neutralizes them and thus prevents oxidative stress and inflammation – allowing your body a chance to repair damage. The secret to ALA’s power is its ability to travel through both water and fat! Unlike other antioxidants, there is nowhere ALA can’t go. Because of this ALA is known as a universal antioxidant and is being studied as a treatment for inflammation related diseases caused by diabetes.
Oxidative stress is also responsible for many issues related to eye health. Because of this it is believed that ALA can be used to help control symptoms of eye disorders, like vision loss, retina damage, cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and Wilson’s disease. A 2004 study showed great promise, reducing diabetic related vision loss in rats via ALA supplementation. (Source)
Alpha lipoic acid is also a great source of natural energy! In addition to the other energy giving components of grass finished beef (like B vitamins), ALA helps the mitochondria of your cells harness the glucose in your blood stream; increasing energy production and allowing you to extract more nutrition from the food you eat.
How To Naturally Increase Your ALA Levels?
Increasing your overall ALA levels through diet is simple! While muscle meat contains some ALA, organ meats are the best most concentrated source. Grass finished beef liver from cattle like the ones we raise at Acabonac Farms contains 92 mg of ALA per 100 g of liver, vs the 32 mg of ALA found in conventionally raised grain fed liver. (Source) Adding our beef liver to your diet a few times a week will go far towards increasing your ALA content and reaping the benefits of this energy giving, universal antioxidant.
Not only are you getting more ALA from grass finished beef liver than conventional beef liver, but you’re also feeding your family food you can trust. Our cattle are raised right here on Long Island. You can even book a pasture tour so the kids can see where their food comes from!