Antioxidants are substances that protect your cells against free radicals.
What are free radicals?
Free radicals are sneaky little buggers that damage tissues when they are inside of your body. But, antioxidants will come to the rescue.
When an atom, any atom, loses one of its electrons on its outer shell, it becomes a “free radical.” It now has a craving for someone else’s electron to make it whole again, so it steals electrons from the other molecules around it, and this damages them, and plays a role in disease.
When your body digests food, or if you’re exposed to tobacco smoke or radiation for example, free radicals form because they lose electrons very easily.
Antioxidants will help protect your healthy cells from damage that is caused by these free radicals. You get antioxidants from colorful foods, and from nutritional supplements like vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, (beta-carotene), lycopene and lutein.
Foods with the colors of the rainbow contain the most antioxidants.
Antioxidants scavenge free radicals from your body’s cells, and this prevents and reduces damage caused by oxidation, which is when oxygen interacts with these molecules.
Ideally, your body is rich in oxygen, so this oxidation is common.
Eat The Rainbow
Colorful foods, which I call Rainbow Foods, are mostly fruits and vegetables. These colorful foods contain many vitamins and antioxidants – with few calories.
Including the colorful foods in your diet can help ensure that you’re getting enough fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They protect against illness, bone density loss, digestive problems, and help with weight management.
A diet high in antioxidants can decrease your risk of heart disease, cancer, and coronavirus.
Foods high in antioxidants:
- blueberries*
- dark chocolate*
- pecans*
- strawberries*
- watermelon
- grapefruit
- lemons
- limes
- guava
- apricots
- carrots
- red cabbage
- mangoes
- papaya
- artichokes
- Goji berries
- raspberries
- kale
- beans
- beets
- spinach
*one of the top foods with high antioxidants
Best antioxidant drinks:
Apple juice, cider, tomato juice, pomegranate juice and pink grapefruit juice are good sources of antioxidants, as well as green tea, black tea and plain tea.
Here’s to a colorful and healthy dinner tonight!
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If you want to learn more about healthy living and disease prevention, contact me at janethull.com. Remember that you are never alone when you are looking for good health!
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, and is educational in nature. The FDA may not have evaluated some of the statements. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding supplements or making any changes to your dietary program.
Before taking vitamins, consult your doctor; pre-existing medical conditions or medications you are taking can affect how your body responds to multivitamins.
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