Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Why Antioxidants?

Anyone that has a TV or reads a magazine can tell you that "Anti-Oxidants" are synonymous with healthy. But ask any of them why, and you're gunna get a nice blank stare. Well I did some reading and figured out just why they are good for you.

So there are these things called Free-Radicals. If you are satisfied with me telling you that they are bad for you skip to the next paragraph. If you want the technical mumbo jumbo read on. Free-radicals are extra electrons that are broken off when a weak electron bond is split. These free radicals are very unstable and will attempt to bond with anything they can. Picture a single + magnet in a huge pile of other + magnet.
Photo by Flickr's hexod.us

Free Radicals are produced all the time, but are only dangerous when there is a large build up that the body can't get rid of. It has also been found that cigarette smoke, herbicides, microwaves, pollution and radiation cause free radicals.

How does the body deal with free radicals?


That's right, anti-oxidants. *Scientific Jargon Warning* An anti-oxidant is a nutrient that has a very strong bond that can afford to pick up the free radicals without creating more of them. So it's basically a vacuum cleaner for all the free radicals in your body.


Where can I get these anti-oxidants from?


They are abundant in anything high in Vitamin E and Vitamin C. Vitamin E is a fat soluble anti-oxidant and Vitamin C is a liquid soluble anti-oxidant, so it is important to get both as they do different things.

But before you start eating nothing but Goji Berries (Berries that are VERY high in anti-oxidants) remember the general rule of life. Pretty much everything is good for you when done in proportion. In fact there are even times when your body purposely produces free radicals, in order to fight bacteria or viruses in your body. If you are eating 5-8 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, you are getting plenty of anti-oxidants.

For more information: Check out: http://www.healthchecksystems.com/antioxid.htm

2 comments:

john8098 said...

Lutein and Zeaxanthin also has been proven is one of the important natural ways of "antioxidant".
Althought they aren't the best capacity of the antioxidant but due to their hydrophilic nature, it can enter the eye's retina and macular, thereby maintaining the health of the eye.
Lycopene is also a very strong antioxidants, it will cause the unable affect, before let the free radical injury cell, and against many types of degradation (aging) disease.
Black Current contains very rich of vitamin C, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, calcium, anthocyanins, phenols. Not only so, the vitamin C content of black currant is four times more than the orange and blackcurrant’s dark skin also rich in antioxidant polyphenols.
Vitamin E are widely distributed in nature and vitamin E-rich foods: wheat germ, soybeans, vegetable oils, nuts, Brussels sprouts, green leafy vegetables, spinach, add nutrients flour, whole wheat, not refined products of cereals, eggs.

Unknown said...

It's great post, antioxidant improve health and increase red cell which fight with different types bug; Antioxidants