You may have heard a lot of talk about antioxidants.
However, few people know what they are or how they work.
To understand the necessity of antioxidants, firstly, we must understand free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive compounds. It is naturally produced in our bodies as a result of normal metabolic processes. It can also be produced as a natural response to environmental toxins such as excessive sunlight, cigarette smoke, harmful chemicals and radiation.
These free radicals attack healthy cells in our body. This can lead to all sorts of degenerative issues such as aging, skin damage, decline in immune system, and even chronic disesases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and atherosclerosis. In fact, medical researchers have found that free radicals are a main contributor to at least 50 types of chronic diseases.
Function of Antioxidants
Here is where antioxidants come in. They neutralize and reverse the effect of free radicals in our bodies. Antioxidants stabilize and deactivate free radicals before they have a chance to damage healthy body cells. Therefore, antioxidants are extremely crucial in our diet to stop the accumulation of dangerous free radicals in our body.
Sources of Antioxidants
A healthy diet will readily supply most of the antioxidants our bodies need. Good sources are:
1. Vegetables
Most vegetables contain powerful phytochemical that reduce inflammation and fight carcinogens. These are the two common side effects of free radical damage.
Tip: Juicing vegetables will ensure you get the optimum benefit.
2. Fruits
Fruits from the berry family such as raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and cranberries contain some of the most potent antioxidants. For example, Vitamin C, carotenoids, carotenes and phytochemicals.
Besides that, there are also other awesome sources such as dragonfruits, prunes, plums and pomegranates.
Tip: The darker and more color-condense the fruit, the higher the amount of antioxidants.
3. Green Tea
Green tea is rich in EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), an extremely powerful antioxidant. EGCG readily fights free radical damage in our bodies and reduces the risk of many chronic diseases such as cancer.
Read: 5 Cups of Tea A Day Keeps the Doctor Away
Tip: Our green tea and matcha are of the highest quality. Hence, it will prove to be an invaluable addition to your diet.
Read: 3 Green Tea Tips for Weight Loss
Antioxidant is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Eat healthy and drink your cup of green tea today!
Written by Roleaf
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