Weekly
Healthy Advice From VÄXA
Antioxidants to
the Rescue
If you asked me for
one major supplement to help make a huge contribution to your
good health, I'd tell you to plunge into antioxidants.
Many kinds of fruits, vegetables, and beans are loaded with
antioxidants, and there's a galaxy full of various antioxidant
supplements on the market. They're added to teas, skin creams,
and power shakes. New health benefits to these natural wonders
are being discovered all the time, and even acknowledged by
conventional medicine.
What are antioxidants, and how can they improve our
health?
Antioxidants are substances which normally occur in many foods
to counteract oxidation in bodily tissue. Oxidation is a physiological
process whereby free radicals enter our cells from both inside
and outside sources and cause us to lose electrons, thereby
altering other more beneficial substances within our bodies.
"Free radicals" are broken pieces of molecules,
sometimes described as unattached parts of chemically active
atoms that can be highly destructive to human and other animal
health. They can enter our cells from merely breathing, from
bodily inflammation, or from our environment.
Enter the antioxidants. They can reduce blood
cholesterol, lower the risk of stroke, promote digestive and
urinary tract health, protect blood vessels, organs, joints
and neural functions of the brain, and lower the effects of
stress. WOW. That's just naming a few of the benefits!
According to research by Tufts University in Boston for USDA
Nutritional Guidelines, and other experts, these foods win
highest praise for being delicious providers of antioxidants:
- prunes, raisins
- raspberries, blueberries, blackberries
- strawberries, cranberries (including
juice), pomegranates
- spinach, kale, broccoli, eggplant
- pinto beans, red, black and kidney
beans
- sweet potatoes
(Antioxidants in plant-based foods
can sometimes also be classified as "flavonoids".)
There's a catch: We can't absorb all we need from food
In today's technological world where food may be altered during
production and we're exposed to many chemicals and toxins,
our bodies can't absorb all necessary antioxidants from what
we eat or drink. Beside that, our fast-paced life and fast-food
options have disturbed our digestion and metabolism process.
Most of us must admit that the healthy foods listed above
aren't always the first thing we reach for! So we need supplemental
antioxidants.
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