BOCA RATON, Fla. – When it comes to your health, there are lots of important numbers: your temperature, your weight, your pulse and blood pressure. But many doctors say you should also know your nutrition level.
"It's vital to know if your body is actually absorbing and benefiting from the nutrients you take in," said Dr. David Blyweiss, a specialist in functional medicine.
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Nelson Sastoque, with Pharmanex, has a device called a biphotonic scanner that measures the carotinoids in the palm of the hand, which can show the level of antioxidants in the body.
"It's noninvasive. In 90 seconds, we get a whole-body antioxidant level, and that will indicate the nutritional status of any individual," said Sastoque.
Sastoque brought the device to the Whole Foods market off Glades Road in Boca Raton to put it through a bit of random testing.
"This was a good choice because the people who come here are certainly interested in healthy eating and living," said Sastoque.
Blyweiss said the science behind the scanner is solid.
"This was developed, in part, by the National Institutes of Health, and it certainly can give an indication of your antioxidant saturation," said Blywiess.
After scanning more than a dozen people at Whole Foods, the results were surprising.
"Your photographer tested at 22,000, that's a 'D,'" said Sastoque.
That was where most of the shoppers tested. Then, it was time to test Local 10's Kristi Krueger .
"Kristi, your level is 13,000, and I'm sorry to say, that's an 'F,'" said Sastoque.
Blyweiss said a love of diet soda and high stress may be the reason for Krueger's poor grade.
"People under heavy stress definitely need to up their intake of antioxidant-rich foods and vegetables," said Blyweiss.
Not everyone tested so poorly. One woman had an antioxidant reading of just over 50,000, a A in the nutrient scanner scale.
While she didn't want to tell Local 10 her full name, she did share her dietary secrets.
"I like bok choy, kale and collard greens. I eat a lot of broccoli and beets and lentils. I don't drink and I don't smoke and I'm happy in my life," she said.
It's not surprising to learn that the foods she loves to eat have some of the highest levels of antioxidants.
"She's proof that you are what you eat, and that should speak volumes to people who doubt the impact of diet on their health," said Blyweiss.