My sister was telling me yesterday that she's supplementing her diet, naturally, with glutathione. She has diabetes, just had her gall bladder removed, and is in overall crummy health. So I was really happy to hear she was taking this easy step to help herself get better.

Extensive research shows glutathione to be one of the most important and abundant antioxidants in the human body. In fact, it's been nicknamed "the mother of all antioxidants." Health writer, Paula Jones, explained (on www.care2.com), that it lives inside each and every cell. Without it, our bodies begin to deteriorate and form disease quickly. Our bodies make this antioxidant, but it gets depleted easily if we aren't taking care of ourselves properly.

Many experts believe that the vast majority of people are deficient in glutathione. The biggest reasons for decreased glutathione levels include chronic stress, environmental toxins, GMO consumption, chronic disease, antibiotic overuse and even simple aging.

While you can certainly take a synthetic glutathione supplement, there are 8 natural ways you boost your levels as well. "Natural" is less expensive and comes with no side effects, so it's a good option. If you'd like to increase your glutathione levels, try these ways:

1) Vitamin C. It's a powerhouse antioxidant which preserves and protects many other nutrients in the body, including glutathione. Vitamin C works in two ways to help maintain glutathione levels. First, it acts as a glutathione-sparing agent by immediately attacking free radicals. Then, vitamin C converts oxidized glutathione back to its original active form.

You can get vitamin C by eating broccoli, cantaloupe, cauliflower, kale, kiwi, orange juice, papaya, strawberries, and red and yellow bell peppers, to name a few.

2) Milk Thistle. Glutathione lives inside each and every cell in your body. If you want to maintain glutathione levels, then it's necessary to protect all the cells in your body. Milk Thistle does exactly that. Plus, this herb is known to be a major protector of the liver. If you drink alcohol, your liver takes a beating which causes decreased glutathione levels. Milk thistle protects your liver and your glutathione levels. (Or...you could not drink alcohol.)

3) Cruciferous Vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables contain the important nutrient, sulfur. Sulfur deficiency is associated with glutathione deficiency in the liver and lungs. To increase your sulfur intake, simply increase the amount of cruciferous vegetables you consume, like cauliflower, kale, broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnips and radishes.

4) Folate-Rich Foods. These boost methylated nutrients (vitamins B6, B9, B12, and biotin-all part of the group called folate). You can get folate in asparagus, beets, black-eyed peas, broccoli, liver, pinto beans, spinach and lentils.

5) Selenium-Rich Foods. Our bodies make glutathione, but to do so we require selenium, which acts as a cofactor in glutathione production. Science shows that healthy doses of selenium intake increase glutathione production. If you eat meat, you can easily increase selenium intake by consuming beef, chicken, fish, or organ meats. If you're vegan or vegetarian, then eat Brazil nuts and brown rice.

6) Turmeric.Turmeric (or the active ingredient of curcumin) is powerful. One not-so-well-known benefit of concentrated turmeric extract is how it increases glutathione levels.

7) Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA). ALA is a necessary molecule that serves as a vital part of cellular activity like energy production. Studies show that healthy amounts of ALA helps increase glutathione levels in the bloodstream.

8) Sleep. Lack of sleep is a major contributor to health problems across the board. One of the primary problems with lack of sleep is its contribution to oxidative stress. The more oxidative stress you have, the more your body has to use its own store of antioxidants, like glutathione, to maintain homeostasis (balanced, good health). Researchers found that individuals with insomnia have decreased glutathione levels. Increasing your sleep helps significantly. But if that's not immediately possible, get VERY serious about increasing your intake of glutathione providers (see above).