If we really want to live a healthy and sustained life then healthy food is vital to this. A component of foods that is essential is the antioxidant.
What Is An Antioxidant?
Antioxidants prevent the effects of oxidation in animal tissue and are nutrients (vitamins and minerals) and enzymes (proteins assisting in chemical reactions) and are thought to have a pivotal role in fighting life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and cataracts.
What’s Their Role?
Because our body intakes oxygen, free radicals are produced which are highly reactive chemicals that can cause oxidative damage to our internal body. This damage is thought to be the reason for the diseases mentioned above.
The antioxidants defend the body against this process by ‘mopping up’ the free radicals and the body has a natural ability to produce them which is dependent on your genetic makeup. Changes in lifestyles can affect the levels of free radicals in our bodies and with the ever increasing pollution levels, we are exposed to these more than ever.
Where Can I Find Them?
Unfortunately our body’s natural levels of antioxidants aren’t enough to fight off these free radicals on their own, which is why it is important that we eat the right foods that contain them as part of our healthy diet. They can be found in natural foods or supplements can be taken, however it is important to note that it is better to consume them through foods rather than a health supplement.
Vitamins E and C and beta-carotene are good antioxidants that should already be part of your diet for other reasons than fighting these free radicals.
Here’s a list of some common foods that contain essential antioxidants:
- Tomatoes – lycopene is the antioxidant which is also responsible for the red colour.
- Citrus fruits – carotenoids, flavonoids, terpenes, limonoids and coumarins
- Tea – especially black, green and oolong teas. Catechin is the most potent, found in green tea.
- Carrots – beta-carotene has been linked with preventing lung cancer