Antioxidants To Improve Health

Free radicals and antioxidants have become big buzz words over the past few years

. In essence, antioxidants stop the production of free radicals. Free radicals are cancer-causing agents that sabotage your good health.

As part of lifes daily processes, oxidation processes take place within the body. These are processes in which at least one electron is lost when two or more substances interact. The molecule, or cell that is now missing an electron, is in an unstable state and is called a free radical.

In a perfect state of health, even when free radicals are produced from these oxidation processes, healthy bodies are able to deal with them. If fact, at times the body even intentionally produces free radicals to fight off intruders such as harmful bacteria and viruses.

But as we move from a perfect to a less-than-perfect state of health, free radicals can become a problem. Free radicals are dangerous because they attack healthy cells, causing changes in the cell membrane or in DNA. This causes cells to die prematurely or to function poorly or improperly which can lead to a host of problems including weakened immunity and inevitably, illness and disease.

These babies serve to stop the free radicals by binding together with them. The sooner this can happen the less the damage caused, as it breaks the chain reaction of free radical production. Antioxidants can also help in the repair of the damage caused by the free radicals.

So whats the solution? Amazing agents called antioxidants!

Where do we find antioxidants? Though the body does produce some, most come from the food we eat: mainly fruits and vegetables. That is why it is recommended to consume a minimum of 5, ideally at least 7, servings of fruit and vegetables each day; preferably ones with deep colors such as green leafy vegetables, red peppers, carrots and blueberries. Vitamins A, E, C and beta-carotene are considered to be highly beneficial antioxidant agents.The more antioxidants your body has available, the greater the likelihood of quickly shutting down the free radicals and their potential to wreak havoc in your body.

To start including more antioxidants in your diet, make a list of the above foods and decide which ones you need to eat more often. The good news is that when you're eating more of the right foods, unhealthy foods won't likely make their way into your diet. Here's to the deliciousness of antioxidants!

Copyright (c) 2010 Katie Humphrey

by: Katie Humphrey

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