What are antioxidants?
Do you know that your body is facing countless threats every day – not only infections and lack of nutrition but also constant threats to your body from free radicals? Free radicals are waste chemicals that are produced by cells when your body processes food or reacts to the environment (such as smoke, radiation, pollution and sunlight).
Antioxidants are chemicals that can help neutralize free radicals! They can help to stop or slow the damage. Also, antioxidants are involved in repairing DNA and maintaining the health of cells, which can be thought of as a boost for your immunity and overall health!
Benefits of antioxidants
The biggest health benefits of antioxidants that they are help fight against free radicals, which in turn can reduce the risk of many health conditions. A study by PMC has shown, a high level of free radicals contribute to some chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, cognitive decline and other inflammatory or ischemic conditions.
Antioxidants in foods
There are myriad chemicals that can act as antioxidants. Each of them has a different role to help the bodywork. Some of the antioxidants can be produced by your body. But many antioxidants are sourced from foods and vitamins, especially plant-based foods which are rich in antioxidants and are often referred to as a “Superfood” or functional food. These include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices.
Here are some common antioxidants and foods:
- Vitamin A: Dairy produce, eggs and liver.
- Vitamin C: Fruits and vegetables, especially broccoli, berries and oranges.
- Vitamin E: Nuts and seeds, green and leafy vegetables, vegetable oils.
- Lutein: Green and leafy vegetables, corn, oranges and papaya.
- Beta-carotene: Colorful fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, peas, mangos and spinach.
- Selenium: Rice, corn, whole grains, nuts, legumes and eggs.
- Lycopene: Red and pink fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes and watermelons.
Other foods that are rich in antioxidants you should consider:
- Eggplants
- Green Teas
- Dark chocolate
- Legumes such as black beans or kidney beans.
- Black Garlic: Contains 10x of antioxidants compared to raw garlic. A study review by MDPI shown, black garlic is rich in selenium, polyphenols(allixin), lipid, tetrahydro-beta-carbolines, amadori/heyns, pyruvate and more. Black garlic also contains nitrogen oxide, which has powerful antiviral and antitumor effects. → BUY your black garlic cloves online today.
Increase the intake of all variety of plant-based foods
Each one of the antioxidant compounds provides different health benefits to your body. Eating a balanced diet that includes a range of foods on the list can help obtain natural antioxidants. Also, they contain good sources of vitamins, fiber and minerals that your body needs, in order to achieve your health goals! Let’s plan the meal for next week and increase the plant-based foods today.
