Antioxidant Foods
For years now, scientists have touted
antioxidants as the answer to all sorts of diseases, even aging.
From preventing heart disease to slowing down degenerative diseases,
to stopping cancer, to reducing blood pressure – you name it and
everything points right back to antioxidants.
The human body is incapable of
producing its own concentration of antioxidants. For this reason, we
depend solely on our diet in order to get the store of antioxidants
we need to combat diseases. Antioxidants protect the body from
harmful, excess free radicals, sweeping them up before they can
cause damage.
These days, when we talk about
antioxidants, the first thing that comes to people’s minds is
“supplements.” However, studies on antioxidant supplements are for
the most part inconclusive and so far, no one study has come up with
the same results during antioxidant supplements tests. No problem
though because you can always find antioxidant foods almost
anywhere.
The best way to lay an
antioxidant-rich foundation that’s inhospitable to toxins and free
radicals is through a combination of whole foods. With antioxidant
supplements still far from the high expectations of the scientific
community, you can in the meantime turn to the more reliable source
of these helpful compounds, which are antioxidant foods. Below are
some examples of antioxidant foods which you can include in your
daily diet:
Berries
The provocative allure, the fragile
charm, the rich concentration of nutrients. All these spell the one
of the most important antioxidant foods – berries. Berries are full
of fibers, minerals and vitamins. They are also loaded with healing
antioxidants, which of course make them excellent antioxidant foods.
There are several kinds of berries,
as you well know, and each kind has a different concentration of
antioxidants. In recent studies, purple berries (such as Elderberry
and black currant) are considered as the richest antioxidant foods.
However, raspberries, cranberries, blueberries, and blackberries are
also good antioxidant foods that are rich in proanthocyanidins which
help prevent cancer and heart disease.
Broccoli
Another excellent antioxidant foods
are green leafy vegetables. Your mom always say, “Eat your
broccoli.” Believe me, your mom is not out to torture you by making
you eat veggies you hate. There is actually a scientific reason to
this.
Broccoli and other cruciferous
vegetables like cabbages, cauliflowers, and Brussels sprouts are
great antioxidant foods. They help prevent cancer and ward off heart
disease. Cruciferous vegetables contain a compound called
“indole-3-carbinol which is an antioxidant that reduces the risk of
breast cancer and other estrogen-sensitive cancers, like cancer of
the ovaries and the cervix.
Back to
Antioxidants
