Antioxidants For A Healthy YouOur Health Begins With What We Eat
What, exactly, are antioxidants and why do we need them? Antioxidants are substances such as vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, and polyphenols that help protect cells in your body. They are nature’s way of fighting off potentially dangerous molecules in the bloodstream of your body. Such molecules come in the form of synthetic chemicals such as pesticides, plastics, and chlorine byproducts and are called free radicals. Free radicals are produced when your body breaks down food, or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke and radiation, and stress. They can also be produced with such things as what people put into their bodies, such as alcoholic beverages and unhealthy foods. Free Radicals feed off of otherwise healthy molecules in order to survive. Every day tens of thousands of free radicals are generated within the body, causing cell damage that can lead to chronic and degenerative diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer if left unchecked. The body sometimes creates its own free radicals in order to destroy viruses or bacteria. To balance out these unruly molecules, antioxidants come to the rescue, with the sole purpose of neutralizing free radicals. The body is designed to use antioxidants from our fruits and vegetables, healthy chocolate, and many other High ORAC Value (antioxidant power) Super Foods to keep us healthy. We are faced with an ever-growing number of environmental toxins, the body is less capable of fighting off the unwanted harmful invaders.
Normally, the molecules in our cells have a full set of electrons, which keep them stable (think of them as a fortress surrounding a castle). But when these molecules come into contact with oxygen (i.e., they are “oxidized”) they lose an electron, converting to an unstable type of molecule known as a free radical. Antioxidants can’t be stored like nutrients, so a constant replenishment is needed. Antioxidants also help reduce inflammation, keep arteries flexible, and preserve the genetic material every cell contains to prevent mutation. Each antioxidant also offers unique perks. For example, flavonoids in berries may help improve artery health, while lutein in spinach may help prevent macular degeneration.
Here is an example to help you understand how they protect us our cells:
Where Can We Find Antioxidants?
They cannot be created in our bodies, so we have to consume them in our diet. (See Fruits and Vegetables Page.) They can be found in our brightly colored fruits and vegetables such as:
However, herbicides can spawn free radicals too. So growing your own fruits and vegetables is your best option for getting the maximum health benefits. If you are unable to raise your own, try buying from a Farmers Market where you know they do not use herbicides. Many experts believe the best way to provide the body with the most complete protection against free radicals is to consume a large variety of antioxidizing foods. They are found in a variety of foods such as:
A balanced diet should include 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professional.
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Oxygen: We need oxygen to live. It travels from the lungs to every corner of the body, helping cells metabolize food into energy. But oxygen has a downside.
The "Green Bags" you see advertised on TV extend the life of produce (bananas, tomatoes, etc.) by absorbing and removing the ethylene gases that cause normal deterioration. Antioxidizing foods,..like the Green Bags...absorb and remove free radicals from our bodies.
Just like a banana that slowly turns brown, our bodies deteriorate over time due to free radicals. Antioxidants can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. (Oxidative stress has been linked to diseases such as Parkinson's, Autism, Diabetes, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Rheumatoid Arthritis, cancer and many other diseases).
