There is a lot of hype surrounding a group of compounds called antioxidants that are contained in food. They are said to do everything, ranging from being memory protectors to disease fighters as well as being an antidote to aging. Antioxidants happen to be natural ways of eliminating molecules in the body that are potentially dangerous. Such molecules appear in the form of synthetic chemicals like plastics, pesticides and chlorine byproducts. Here is a look at the importance of an antioxidant diet.
Antioxidants help in stalling oxidation, a normal body chemical process that occurs every day. Alcohol, tobacco smoking and stress can accelerate the process. Should a disruption in the normal oxidation process occur, highly unstable and potentially damaging molecules called free radicals are formed. Oxygen triggers this formation of such destructive chemicals, leading to body cell damage if left unchecked.
When the production of free radicals exceeds the protective defenses found in the body, oxidative stress occurs. This stress together with damage to cells caused by free radicals may initiate the initial stages of heart disease and cancer. The development of arthritis, Alzheimers disease, diabetes, cataracts, age-related blindness and kidney disease is also linked to free radicals.
For protection against such damage, the human body has defenses. It generates antioxidants for eliminating the free radicals and to protect cells from oxygen attack. Safe interaction with the radicals results in the chain of damage being slowed down before it can move on to the cells. To gain such helpful molecules, all one has to do is include them in a diet.
Certain vitamins like vitamin C and vitamin E as well as minerals such as selenium and manganese are antioxidants. Some plant compounds also act as antioxidants, such as carotene and lycopene. Many types of foods capable of being included in a diet are ideal sources of antioxidants. While selenium and manganese can be found in small amounts in meats and seafood, the main source of antioxidants is plant foods.
There is a wide variety of antioxidants systems, but it has not yet been figured out how the different systems in human bodies work together to offer protection against free-radical damage. No single antioxidant is capable of providing the protection offered by the numerous antioxidants working together.
The best way of getting a variety of antioxidants in a diet is by consuming foods that represent all the rainbow colors. Every color provides its own one of a kind antioxidant effects. Deep yellow, bright orange vegetables and fruits such as sweet potatoes, carrots and apricots provide one kind of antioxidants, while red foods such as tomatoes provider the other. Green vegetables like cabbage and broccoli together with purple or blue foods like eggplant and blueberries each contain antioxidants packages.
Decreasing the risks of various diseases like the heart disease and cancer forms a basis of the importance of an antioxidant diet. The ideal such diets are inclusive of whole grains, vegetables and fruits. By coming up with a diet that is rich in all the above mentioned food, a person can be assured of protection from some diseases together with a lesser chance of contracting others.
Antioxidants help in stalling oxidation, a normal body chemical process that occurs every day. Alcohol, tobacco smoking and stress can accelerate the process. Should a disruption in the normal oxidation process occur, highly unstable and potentially damaging molecules called free radicals are formed. Oxygen triggers this formation of such destructive chemicals, leading to body cell damage if left unchecked.
When the production of free radicals exceeds the protective defenses found in the body, oxidative stress occurs. This stress together with damage to cells caused by free radicals may initiate the initial stages of heart disease and cancer. The development of arthritis, Alzheimers disease, diabetes, cataracts, age-related blindness and kidney disease is also linked to free radicals.
For protection against such damage, the human body has defenses. It generates antioxidants for eliminating the free radicals and to protect cells from oxygen attack. Safe interaction with the radicals results in the chain of damage being slowed down before it can move on to the cells. To gain such helpful molecules, all one has to do is include them in a diet.
Certain vitamins like vitamin C and vitamin E as well as minerals such as selenium and manganese are antioxidants. Some plant compounds also act as antioxidants, such as carotene and lycopene. Many types of foods capable of being included in a diet are ideal sources of antioxidants. While selenium and manganese can be found in small amounts in meats and seafood, the main source of antioxidants is plant foods.
There is a wide variety of antioxidants systems, but it has not yet been figured out how the different systems in human bodies work together to offer protection against free-radical damage. No single antioxidant is capable of providing the protection offered by the numerous antioxidants working together.
The best way of getting a variety of antioxidants in a diet is by consuming foods that represent all the rainbow colors. Every color provides its own one of a kind antioxidant effects. Deep yellow, bright orange vegetables and fruits such as sweet potatoes, carrots and apricots provide one kind of antioxidants, while red foods such as tomatoes provider the other. Green vegetables like cabbage and broccoli together with purple or blue foods like eggplant and blueberries each contain antioxidants packages.
Decreasing the risks of various diseases like the heart disease and cancer forms a basis of the importance of an antioxidant diet. The ideal such diets are inclusive of whole grains, vegetables and fruits. By coming up with a diet that is rich in all the above mentioned food, a person can be assured of protection from some diseases together with a lesser chance of contracting others.
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