The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs,
but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition. ~Thomas Edison
What is the Truth When It Comes to Antioxidants?
If you pay attention to your health you have probably heard a lot about antioxidants, so what is the truth when it comes to these life enhancing molecules?
Many healthy foods contain antioxidants, and almost every health professional says you should be ingesting them, but what are antioxidants and are they really as good for you as many experts claim?
Antioxidants are found in many types of foods and are known to help our bodies fight off things called free radicals, which are created in our bodies due to the process of oxidation.
Learn more about which foods are high in intoxicants at the end of this article.
What are Free Radicals and do they need to be destroyed?
Have you ever seen an iron rod, iron gate or grill without enamel paint – subjected to sun, air and rain. It gets rusted over a period of time.
Free radicals are the molecules that float around the body causing damage to cell membranes and other structures including cellular proteins, lipids. They also cause mutations in our DNA.
Some wellness experts even think they are a precursor to certain cancers.
Free radicals are naturally produced in the body as a result of oxidation. The presence of Free radicals in our body create a whole range of health problems and are recognised as the primary cause our decline as we age.
Studies have been able to clearly link free radicals to the development of many types of serious medical conditions, including things like cancer, Parkinson’s disease and heart disease. However, just because free radicals cause harm to some of your cells doesn’t mean that they don’t serve a purpose.
Most people so not realise that their body creates free radicals for a reason. In fact, cells in your immune system use free radicals to penetrate invading bacteria cells in order to kill them.
Environmental Free Radicals
While your body generates free radicals from the natural process of oxidation, you can also accumulate free radicals from environmental pollutants, from too much sun exposure and from cigarettes.
Problems start to arise when your normal cells become overwhelmed with free radicals as this can leave them open to diseases and damage that speeds up the aging process.
So do excessive levels free radicals in your body need to be eliminated?
Well if you spend a lot of time in the sun, breathe polluted air, are more than 20 pounds overweight and less healthy than you could be, or if you smoke cigarettes, the answer is a resounding YES.
So, what can you do to maintain a healthy level of free radicals?
Remember they are naturally occurring and absolutely essential to daily living functions, especially for defending your body against external invaders.
The answer lies in antioxidants
Just like free radicals, antioxidants are also naturally occurring substances.
Antioxidants are nutrients (vitamins and minerals) as well as enzymes (proteins in your body that assist in chemical reactions). They help our bodies to fight off the presence of too many free radicals. They are believed to play a role in preventing the development of such chronic diseases as cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, various forms of arthritis, and even cataracts.
Many people believe you will get most of the antioxidants you need to remain healthy simply by eating at least 5 servings a day of fruits and vegetables – however they levels of antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables vary. They are not created equal and therefore you may ewquire more than that.
There are about 8000 different types of antioxidants, including substances we consider to be antioxidants like polyphenols and flavonoids and other materials, such as many types of regular vitamins.
Some antioxidants are better prepared to fight off oxidation in certain cells or parts of the body than other types.
Rather than trying to determine which specific antioxidants will work best to alleviate certain health issues such as arthritis for instance, you need to think of antioxidant foods as a team – working together for the best effect. The best way to accomplish this is to eat a varied, healthy diet of fresh unprocessed foods.
How to Get Your Antioxidants
There are plenty of ways to naturally consume all of the antioxidants you need to stay healthy. Most types of fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, but they can also be found in foods like nuts, seeds, beans and many types of whole grain foods.
Juicing and sprouting are also highly effective ways to increase the amounts of antioxidents you consume.
You can also get antioxidants from meats, but the levels of antioxidants in meat are higher if the animal is grass fed rather than grain raised. Pasture-fed hens also produce eggs that are high in antioxidants.
Eating a rich and varied diet that is high in antioxidants will certainly improve your health. Are they a wonderful cure-all? I wouldn’t go that far. But they are an important part of remaining healthy and disease free.
One thing I will say that if you are deficient you will most likely look older and feel older and someone that has high levels of antioxidants in their blood.
This article was brought to you from Victory Lean, a writer at Di Cigs – an Electronic Cigarette showcase. She likes to share lifestyle tips and advice for healthy living. We are happy she did.
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