Antioxidants. Eating or drinking something full of antioxidants is supposed to be really good for your health. You hear about it on commercials, celebrities talking about it, even a friend from your gym or your yoga class. So you think why not, drink that juice, eat that food, or take that vitamin. The question is, do you really know what an antioxidant is? What do they do? Most importantly why are they good for you?
If you get down to basic etymology (the breaking- down of words), anti means against, and oxidation means the addition of oxygen. Oxidation is bad in a sense that it removes electrons and releases free radicals. In layman’s terms, it is like why metal rusts, or an apple turns brown, but apply this to your body.
Free radicals in your body are bad because they damage cells. The damage can lead to health problems. Antioxidants can neutralize them. How do you get antioxidants in to your system? That is actually a very easy answer. You probably get a lot in your diet every day without knowing. There are three vitamins that are antioxidants: vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A. Other substances with antioxidant activities include: flavonoids (the color pigmentation in fruits and vegetables), and trace minerals such as selenium
How do antioxidants help neutralize free radicals? A simple analogy is Pac-Man. Antioxidants roam around the body as enzymes seeking out free radicals and neutralizing them without being destroyed themselves. It’s like when you eat the fruit and the ghosts turn blue and you gobble them up as you go all around the screen.
Is this a simplified explanation? Yes. There are so many claims out there about antioxidants and special foods or drinks that you need to eat, but if you get a lot of vegetation in your diet and try to lead a semi-healthy lifestyle then you don’t need to try every new product that comes out on the market with a zillion antioxidants in it. Hit up the produce aisle of your local grocery and I think you’ll be good on the antioxidant front.
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