What you Should Know About Anti Oxidants

The cells in our body must be able to breathe. It’s a process whereby our cells produce energy to keep our body moving and functioning. This process is called oxidation, and it involves various other processes to keep us alive and healthy.

The cells, when they do this, produce a waste-like element called free radicals. These radicals can be very harmful and lead to damage of our body tissues. These radicals lead to aging, muscle damage, weak immune system, and various diseases if left untreated. To fight this, we need anti oxidants in our body.

Anti oxidants are basically chemicals that reduce the rate of this oxidation. All cells in the body naturally contain complex systems of anti oxidants to prevent damages to the cell structure and built due to the oxidation. But this natural amount is not sufficient.

And that is why it is a requirement to have anti-oxidants in our body, either by intake of food or supplements. Our food daily must have sufficient amount of anti oxidants for our own health reason. Vegetables, fruits and other edible plants are important source of organic antioxidant chemicals.

Basically anti oxidants can be found everyday in our common type of foods. In short, any food containing vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, zinc, manganese, coenzyme Q10 have anti oxidant components inside.

Natural Resources

Some natural sources of food containing anti oxidants are fruits such as wild blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, prunes, raspberries, strawberries, apples, cherries, plums, and papayas, vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers, green leafy vegetables, brussel sprouts, cabbage, artichokes, asparagus, avocado, beans, beets, spinach and many more.

Medicines, Supplements and Food Additives

Besides a natural source of foods, there are also medicinal and dietary supplements which use anti oxidant ingredients for health purposes such as preventing cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Supplements such as vitamin C and vitamin A tablets and medicines are also source of anti oxidants to our body.

Even food additives nowadays have anti oxidants inside them. A few to name would be ascorbic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, rosmarinic acid, pectin, tocopherol, BHA, BHT, and EDTA.

Benefits and healing power

Anti oxidants are very important because they have much benefit. They help to reduce cellular damage, and this prepares our body from getting diseases such as degeneration, cataracts and other eye diseases, age-related neurodegeneration, cardiovascular diseases and even severe ones such cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Besides that, they help to keep our immune system in good shape as well.