1. What is an Antioxidant?
Antioxidants are vitamins, minerals and other nutrients found in a wide variety of foods that protect your body from the harmful effects of free radicals. They are said to guard against cancer and heart disease, boost the immune system, and keep your body looking and feeling young. Many foods are touted for their antioxidant properties, including dark berries, green tea and dark chocolate.
2. Damage From Free Radicals
We need oxygen to stay alive, but there can be too much of a good thing. When oxygen bonds to certain molecules in your body, they become unstable free radicals, which can damage cells by stealing electrons from healthy molecules until that molecule becomes a free radical and the process repeats again and again. Your body uses some free radicals to combat viruses, harmful bacteria and other infections, but free radicals can also attack the body itself and leave it vulnerable to disease.
3. Saved By Antioxidants
Antioxidants neutralize free radicals by donating an electron to them, and since the antioxidants are stable with or without that electron, the chain reaction of free radical damage comes to an end. Some free radicals occur naturally, but others are caused by exposure to pollution, pesticide residue on food, cigarette smoke and other toxins, or they can result from stress. The presence of free radicals also increases as you get older.
4. Antioxidant Power in Fruits, Vegetables and Other Foods
Everyone needs a steady supply of antioxidants to keep their bodies healthy and functioning. The best way to keep your body swimming in antioxidants is to build your diet around whole grains, nuts, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables. Many herbs and spices also contain high levels of antioxidants, as do treats like green tea, red wine and dark chocolate. Some foods especially high in antioxidants are red beans, blueberries, kale and tomatoes. However, don't rely on one or two superfoods to save you from disease. Eating a wide variety of foods in a rainbow of colors is the key to a well-balanced diet, and will provide your body with all the antioxidants it needs to fight disease. Since free radicals can be caused by ingesting pesticide residue, be sure to buy organic whenever possible.
5. Whole Food vs. Supplements
Most experts recommend against getting your antioxidants in supplement form, such as pills or drink mixes. Overdosing on vitamin pills can make you ill. Even at safe levels, pills and drinks don't carry nearly the same nutritional punch as whole foods, which also are full of other vitamins and minerals plus fiber and water.
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