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According to most nutritionists, it is extremely important to have a healthy diet that contains an adequate amount of vitamins and nutrients. Antioxidants can help you stay young and healthy. Antioxidants are vital to our bodies because they help protect the membrane of cells from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are chemical molecules that cause oxidation in the body. Oxidation is a chemical process in which energy in a substance is changed into heat, an undesirable substance called ‘free radical’ which can cause damage to vital organs of the body such as skin cells and DNA when too much damage occurs.
In order to keep the body fit and healthy, we must have a healthy diet rich in foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. But most people don’t eat enough fresh vegetables, fruits, and nuts. The main reason for this is because these foods take a lot of time to be prepared and processed and therefore they are less available in stores. Another reason for the low availability of these food items is that it takes a lot of processing in order to prepare them for human consumption, which means most of us would rather buy things that we can prepare at home or cook at home rather than eating a pre-prepared healthy diet.
When it comes to maintaining a healthy diet that consists of the proper amount of antioxidants, all you need is your favorite multivitamin supplement. It is very important to take the recommended daily allowance of vitamins C, A, and E because these vitamins are vital for the maintenance of healthy skin, muscle cells, and the immune system. However, because free radicals are caused by our exposure to harmful environmental factors such as cigarette smoke, air pollution, UV rays from the sun, and radiation from tanning beds, we can greatly benefit from the presence of antioxidants.1
What Are Antioxidants?
If you have ever heard the term antioxidants, then you most likely know what they are and how beneficial they can be. Antioxidants can help you in many ways, including slowing down the aging process, preventing cancer, and reversing the effects of aging and disease. There are hundreds of different antioxidant supplements out there today and they all claim to contain different amounts of antioxidants.2
Antioxidants can be found in many foods, both plant and animal, including green tea, tomatoes, berries, and wine. In addition, antioxidant-rich foods like tomatoes, blueberries, and spinach are good for you. Antioxidants can also be found in several prescription and over-the-counter medications used to treat heart diseases, such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, selenium, and procyanidins. However, most people aren’t aware of the fact that many fruits and vegetables are also high in antioxidants.3
Some of the most commonly consumed fruits and vegetables that contain antioxidants are pinto beans, broccoli, grapes, green peppers, kale, cantaloupe, and strawberries. Antioxidants found in most vegetables and fruits are found in their natural, unprocessed state, so eating food that is rich in antioxidants can be beneficial for your overall health, and can even be beneficial in fighting the effects of aging. Antioxidant supplements can be taken, either naturally or by a supplement, in order to increase the levels of antioxidants in your diet. Antioxidant supplements can also be consumed in pill form.4
What Are the Benefits of Antioxidants?
Antioxidants can prevent heart disease and cancer. Antioxidants also play an important role in keeping the cells healthy. The free radicals that enter the body can damage our DNA. Antioxidants help to repair the damaged cells, thus restoring our health.
Antioxidants can help fight disease and improve your overall health. There are many diseases that we fight against on a daily basis, from cardiovascular disease to arthritis. Some diseases that we can prevent include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, macular degeneration, breast cancer, colon cancer, gallbladder disease, and skin disease. Some symptoms of these diseases may include memory loss, flu-like symptoms, decreased appetite, and muscle and joint pain. Additionally, antioxidants can lower our cholesterol, which helps reduce the risks of heart disease. Antioxidants can also lower the risk of cancer.
In fact, there are many Antioxidant benefits that we can receive. Antioxidants can strengthen our immune system, help slow the aging process, help us heal faster after injury, and provide additional protection against some cancers. Antioxidants can be found in most vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.5
Antioxidants are very essential in your body and they are required for overall health. However, if you consume a large number of foods or liquids with high levels of Antioxidants, then you should be prepared to have an extremely low level of Antioxidant-containing foods in your body. This may seem like a harsh thing to do, but your body needs to be in optimum health and Antioxidants are absolutely necessary to keep your body healthy. Your body cannot survive on Antioxidants alone.
So, now that you know the benefits of Antioxidants, you might want to find out what Antioxidant supplements might help you get all of the antioxidants that you need. Antioxidant supplements can provide you with all of the antioxidants you will ever need and they do not cost much to take. Even though there are many benefits of Antioxidants, most people do not consider them to be necessary, since they believe that they can simply consume more foods with Antioxidants. However, if you take a good supplement, then you will be getting the maximum amount of antioxidants that your body needs in order to stay healthy and fight off disease at an extremely low level.
The Dangers of Not Getting Enough Antioxidants in Your Diet
Antioxidants are one of the most important nutrients for your health. A lack of antioxidants in your diet can lead to a variety of diseases from heart disease to cancer. So, if you want to stay healthy and keep your body functioning properly then it is very important that you eat a well-balanced diet with a large number of antioxidants in it. These antioxidants can be found in a number of different things but the most popular sources of antioxidants include fresh fruits, vegetables, oily fish, wine, berries, and nuts.
So, what are the dangers of not getting enough antioxidants in your diet?
- The first danger is that if you do not get enough antioxidants in your diet, then the level of activity of your immune system will be significantly diminished, which can lead to an increased risk of infection and other illnesses.
- The second danger of not getting enough antioxidants in your diet is that the levels of vitamin C and vitamin E in your body are reduced.
- The third danger of not getting enough antioxidants in your diet is that vitamin A can also be decreased due to an excess of stored fat. Although it is true that there are dangers of not getting enough antioxidants in your diet, they are all of a short-term nature and only present if you are not eating a balanced diet.
Eating a well-balanced diet including a good amount of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as plenty of oily fish and wine is the best way to ensure that you are receiving all the essential nutrients required for your health.6 However, it is also very important that you take vitamin and mineral supplements in addition to these foods. By ensuring that you are getting a healthy amount of antioxidants and vitamin C and E as well as healthy amounts of fruits and vegetables you will ensure that your body gets all of the antioxidants it needs in order to fight against diseases and keep your cells well-nourished.
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1 “Free Radicals, Antioxidants in Disease and Health – NCBI.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3614697/ Accessed 26 Aug. 2021.
2 “Foods, Antioxidants, Vitamins, & Supplements for Immune – WebMD.” https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/antioxidants-your-immune-system-super-foods-optimal-health Accessed 26 Aug. 2021.
3 “Antioxidants: In Depth | NCCIH – National Center for Complementary ….” https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/antioxidants-in-depth Accessed 26 Aug. 2021.
4 “Antioxidants Explained in Simple Terms – Healthline.” 29 Jul. 2019, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/antioxidants-explained Accessed 26 Aug. 2021.
5 “Health Benefits of Antioxidants – WebMD.” 16 Nov. 2020, https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-antioxidants Accessed 26 Aug. 2021.
6 “Healthy Eating Plate | The Nutrition Source – Harvard TH Chan ….” https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/ Accessed 26 Aug. 2021.