Antioxidant Facts: Why Everyone Should Eat More Antioxidant Food

Knowing the antioxidant facts is important for your health. All day long, everyone of us is exposed to free radicals, which are groups of atoms that damage our cells and immune systems. They make us more prone to diseases and speed up the aging process. This article shows why antioxidant foods (fruits, vegetables and nuts) or supplements help to combat dangerous free radicals, and keep you more healthy. Free Radicals and Their Effects Free radicals exist in chemicals, pollution and sun light. But we also undergo their effects through stress and bad eating habits. Luckily, we control what foods we eat, and this makes a big difference to our health. Antioxidants exists as supplements, but more importantly they also occur naturally in particular fruits, vegetables and nuts. Among the foods with a high antioxidant level, are artichokes, spinach, russet potatoes, eggplant, beans and sweet potatoes, to mention only a few. For example, vitamin C has been proven to counter cancer. Vitamin C is especially found in broccoli, citrus fruits, melons, bell peppers, strawberries and potatoes. Vitamin E has been shown to severely bring down the chance of getting gastrointestinal cancer, thrombosis and lung cancer. This vitamin occurs naturally in among others particular grains, expeller pressed safflower oil, and sunflower seeds. Research indicates that it is best to eat a wide range of antioxidants every day. In particular, it is recommended that every person eats vegetables from all five vegetable subgroups on a regular basis: legumes (beans), orange vegetables, dark green vegetables, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables. But, in general, the basic rule of thumb is: just eat lots of fresh vegetables everyday and you will get enough antioxidants in your body to keep you healthy. Unhealthy Food In Western countries, there’s a lot wrong with many people’s daily diet. Many people are overfed and overweight, through the wrong kinds of foods. Even when people eat vegetables and fruit, it is not as healthy as it was just a few decades ago. It has been established that oranges these days only contain about 15 percent of the healthy nutrients they contained only 10 years back. This means that many people are not getting the healthy nutrients they need. That’s why it’s advisable for people to have a thorough look at their diet, and make the necessary changes. The antioxidant facts speak for themselves.