6 foods high in antioxidants and their Great benefits
If you eat a diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables, foods high in antioxidants chances are that you’re probably not lacking in antioxidants. But who really gets the recommended five to nine servings of fruits and veggies every day?
What are antioxidants
Antioxidants (anti-oxidants, anti-oxidation) slow down the oxidizing processes and stop the free radicals in their tracks. Antioxidants can also repair (or help repair) the cells that have already been attacked and damaged by free radicals.
Antioxidants have been used in the treatment of some cancers, macular degeneration, and Alzheimer’s Disease. Read the top 10 cancer-fighting foods Here
Importance of antioxidants
To understand antioxidants, it’s important to understand what they do. Antioxidant benefits fight against something in our bodies known as “free radicals.” Free radicals are harmful molecules that are caused by excess oxygen in the body.
Also from Antioxidants benefits minimizing the harmful effects of free radicals will allow you to live a longer, healthier life. Without your body breaking down at the normal (or faster!), rate, coupling this with a healthy lifestyle will ensure the fact that you feel better.
get more accomplished in your day-to-day settings, and have a better quality of life than you are used antioxidant rich foods.
Antioxidants are thought to help prevent heart disease, and certain kinds of cancer, lower blood pressure, and maybe even slow the aging process. read also dash diet for hypertension
Free radicals and what they cause in the body
We all have oxygen in our bodies – whether it’s from our lungs or our cells, so we will always have an excess of it, and we will always have free radicals. Free radicals attack healthy cells and continue the breakdown of unhealthy ones.
This weakens the immune system in the long run and speeds up the aging process in the body. It also breaks down bones, joints, connective tissue, cartilage, and organs.
Free radicals are also introduced into our bodies through excessive sun exposure, and pollution, when the body digests certain medications, and when we intake certain forms of unhealthy substances – for example, alcohol, smoking, unhealthy foods, etc.
Also from Antioxidants benefits minimizing the harmful effects of free radicals will allow you to live a longer, healthier life.
Without your body breaking down at the normal (or faster!), rate, coupling this with a healthy lifestyle will ensure the fact that you feel better, get more accomplished in your day-to-day settings, and have a better quality of life than you are used antioxidant rich foods
mitohomesis
A process called mitohomesis, suggests that repeated exposure to free radicals may extend life span. Free radicals play an important role in a number of biological processes, some of which are necessary for life, like the intracellular killing of bacteria by a process called neutrophil granulocytes.
Free radicals are connected with other necessary health processes such as cell signaling. The two most important free radicals are superoxide and hydroxyl radicals.
Types of antioxidants
Antioxidants are substances that can help prevent or slow down damage to cells caused by free radicals, which are unstable molecules produced as a byproduct of normal bodily processes or introduced from external sources like pollution or UV radiation.
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid):
foods high in antioxidants are fruits and vegetables such as oranges, strawberries, antioxidant berry, bell peppers, and broccoli. It helps protect cells from oxidative stress and supports the immune system.
- Vitamin E (tocopherols):
Present in nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, and leafy greens are antioxidant rich foods. It acts as a fat-soluble antioxidant and protects cell membranes from oxidative damage.
- Beta-carotene:
A type of carotenoid, found in colorful fruits and vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and cantaloupe. Beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A in the body and acts as a powerful antioxidant.
- Selenium:
A trace mineral found in nuts, seeds, seafood, and whole grains. Selenium is a component of antioxidant enzymes that protect cells from oxidative stress. Shop it
- Flavonoids:
These are plant compounds found in a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and beverages like tea and red wine. Flavonoids have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with various health benefits.
- Resveratrol:
A compound found in grapes, red wine, berries, and peanuts. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and has been studied for its potential health benefits.
- Lycopene:
A red pigment is found in tomatoes, watermelon, and other red fruits. Lycopene is a potent antioxidant associated with a lower risk of certain cancers, particularly prostate cancer.
- Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10):
A naturally occurring antioxidant found in every cell of the body. It plays a crucial role in energy production and acts as an antioxidant in cell membranes.
- Polyphenols:
These are a diverse group of antioxidants found in antioxidant rich foods like berries, cocoa, green tea, and coffee. Polyphenols have been linked to various health benefits, including reducing inflammation and protecting against chronic diseases.
- Glutathione:
A powerful antioxidant is produced in the body. It helps neutralize free radicals and plays a vital role in the detoxification process.
Sources of antioxidants
The good news is you don’t have to buy expensive pills to get your fill of antioxidants. Local farmers and the produce section at your local grocery store will supply all the antioxidants you need. Here are a few of the best food that are rich in antioxidants:
While supplements and foods high in antioxidants do provide a high amount of antioxidants, it is always best to get any vitamin or mineral from the original source.
- dark leafy vegetables
In this case, dark leafy vegetables are antioxidant rich foods – or really any vegetables for that matter and fruit is the best place to derive antioxidants from. Your body can assimilate and use the antioxidants much more readily when consumed from a very natural source.
Also, no matter the supplement you are taking, the antioxidants in the supplement have been altered in some way or form. This makes it harder for your body to assimilate these nutrients!
2. Antioxidants vitamins
Some antioxidants are vitamins (C and E), minerals (selenium), and flavinoids (good sources for flavinoids are red wine, fruits, and some forms of tea) are a good source of Antioxidants vitamins.
3. tea
Also, tea is good for everyone – from its gentle immune-boosting powers to its incredible taste, tea has been used for millennia by the world’s population. One of the best aspects of tea, however – not known until modern times – is the fact that tea contains a great amount of antioxidants.
4. Black and green tea
Black and green tea have the same amount of antioxidants – which is equal to 10 glasses of apple juice! (Juice is a concentrated form of fruit, which is purported to be one of the best places to get antioxidants. If one cup of green or black tea equals that many glasses of apple juice, imagine how many antioxidants you are getting!)
The best form of antioxidants in tea, however, is white tea. White tea is dried in the sun, thus allowing its natural antioxidants to remain strong.
Whichever form of tea you choose to try, add a little bit of honey to it, a dash of lemon, and enjoy!
5. antioxidant berry
Berries. Even when blueberries and raspberries are antioxidant rich foods, they’re usually pretty expensive at the grocery store. A cheaper route is to go to your locally-owned berry patch and pick your own berries.
In addition to saving up to $2 per quart, you’ll be loading up on proanthocyanidins (among other hard-to-pronounce antioxidants), which, again, can reduce blood pressure and may stave off cancer.
6. Garlic.
It’s hard to beat the flavor per cost of “the stinking rose.” A little garlic in your recipes goes a long way, and even if you like to heap garlic on, you’re still frugal – a large bulb might only run you 50 cents at the supermarket. read anti infelaminarory foods
From a health standpoint, garlic is from foods high in antioxidants that lower cholesterol levels, speed healing, and even treat asthma and yeast infections. Now THAT’s a bargain!
It’s important to note that a healthy diet antioxidant rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other antioxidant-rich foods can provide a variety of these antioxidants, offering a synergistic effect in protecting the body against oxidative stress.
