Antioxidants

Antioxidants are considered to be vital for our well being.

There's a lot of documentation concerning their potential to support general body health.

And they are great in the fight against anti-aging!
 

What are Anti Oxidants and How do they Work?

Anti Oxidants are substances that naturally occur in foods that are plant based.

There are many hundreds, if not thousands of anti oxidants and generally they are effective in slowing or preventing the oxidation of body cells.

Oxidation reactions produce free radicals in the body.

Free radicals then start chain reactions that damage body cells.

And unfortunately, free radicals are part of the aging process - ugh!!

The good news is that Antioxidants can terminate these damaging chain reactions by removing free radicals.

(That's the Chemistry out of the way!)

Stay Youthful with Anti Oxidants Protection

Anti Oxidants are found exclusively in Plants (Fruits and

vegetables) because they provide natural protection from

environmental damage.

And this protection goes right down to the DNA level.

And if you're anything like me, trying to eat the recommended 10 cups

of fruits and veggies each day is a real struggle.

So even if you are getting antioxidant foods into your diet,  

 you may need to supplement.

Know Your Antioxidant Foods

Natural antioxidants are most abundant in fruits and vegetables,

as well as in other foods including grains, nuts, and some red

meats, poultry and fish.

They include:

Beta-carotene: found in many foods that are orange in

colour, including carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, apricots,

squash, pumpkin, and mangos.

Some green leafy vegetables are also rich in beta-carotene.

Some of these include collard greens, spinach, and kale.

Lycopene: Commonly found in

tomatoes, watermelon, papaya, guava, apricots, pink grapefruit

and blood oranges.

Lutein: found in green, leafy vegetables such as spinach,

collard greens, and kale.

Vitamin A: found in three main forms: retinol (Vitamin A1),

3,4-didehydroretinol (Vitamin A2), and 3-hydroxy-retinol (Vitamin

A3). Foods rich in vitamin A include liver, carrots, sweet

potatoes, egg yolks, milk and mozzarella cheese

Vitamin C: found in high concentrations in many fruits and

vegetables.

Vitamin E: also known as Alpha-tocopherol, is found in

many oils including wheat germ, corn, safflower and soybean

oils, and is also found in mangos, nuts (almonds), broccoli and

other foods.

Lipoic Acid: used to counteract free radicals in the cell

mitochondria, a process which may help to slow down aging.

Lipoic acid is also thought to be effective in recycling other

anti oxidants back into their original form after they detoxify

free radicals.

Green Tea: contains Polyphenols (Catechins) and Flavonols.

The high anti oxidant content of green tea makes it beneficial for

protecting the body from oxidative damage due to free radicals.

Coenzyme Q10: is essential for cell mitochondria, where is

helps to produce energy from fats and sugars.

Coenzyme Q10 decreases with age, so supplementation may help to

increase cellular energy.

Selenium:is a mineral and an important component of most

anti oxidant enzymes.

Sources include rice, wheat and Brazil nuts.

Resveratrol:Naturally existing in the skin of grapes,

resveratrol has been associated with many health benefits.


Know the Concentration of Antioxidants in your Food

The anti oxidant value of foods is measured by a value known as

Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, shortened to ORAC.

Foods which rank high on the ORAC chart include:

Chocolate: Good news for chocolate lovers!

Dark chocolate has high Bioflavinoid content and ranks high in

anti oxidant activity.

Berries: For example Acai berries contain many times the

anti oxidant content of red grapes.

They are also high in Anthocyanins, containing much more than red

wine.

Other berries and fruits high on the ORAC include:

Noni Pomegranate Gogi Blueberry

Raspberry Black Cherry

Mangosteen has become a very popular fruit because they

contain Xanthones in the outer rind of the fruit.

So there you are!

Now you know what Anti oxidants are, which Fruits and veggies are

abundant with them and how you can stay youthful by taking

them in a Natural Supplement forms.

If you'd like some help, just contact me using the form below:

P.P.S Feel free to leave your thoughts, comments and

questions in the box above....And if you want to know

how to live, look and feel younger, for longer,

put your e-mail in the form at the top!