Articles -
Antioxidants and Your Health
Get back to the basics - eat fresh at home and neutralize free
radical oxidation, which is rusting away your body, by eating a variety
of foods high in antioxidants every day.
Why? Antioxidants, as the name implies, help prevent oxidation, may
help increase immune function and possibly decrease risk of infection
and cancer.
A few of the better known antioxidants include carotenoids-- the
substance that gives fruits and vegetables their deep rich colors.
Apricots, broccoli, pumpkin, cantaloupes, spinach and sweet potatoes,
are some good choices in addition to lycopene in tomatoes. Vitamin C and
E are also good antioxidants.
What's a Free Radical Anyways?
As cells function normally in the body, they produce damaged
molecules called free radicals. These free radicals steal parts from
other molecules such as fat, protein, or DNA, thereby spreading the
damage.
This damage continues in a chain reaction, and entire cells soon
become damaged and die. This process is useful because it helps the body
destroy cells that have outlived their usefulness and kills germs and
parasites. However, this damage, when left unchecked, also destroys or
damages healthy cells.
Antioxidants help prevent widespread cellular destruction by
willingly donating their parts to stabilize free radicals. More
importantly, antioxidants return to the surface of the cell to stabilize
rather than damage other cellular components.
When there are not enough antioxidants to hold cell destruction in
check, free radicals begin damaging healthy cells which, in turn, can
lead to problems. For example, free radical damage to immune cells can
lead to an increased risk of infections.
Your body needs to be able to repair this damage that occurs and
protect itself from the free radicals before they impact your overall
health. This is where antioxidants come to the rescue, because they
significantly delay, inhibit, or prevent oxidation.
Your first line of defence is a natural diet full of a variety of
fruits, vegetables and whole grains. For all those times when your diet
isn't perfect, make sure you have a safety net in place. Think of
antioxidants as Rustoleum for your insides! and be sure to have a
supplement in your medicine cabinet.
Best of health to you!
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