Antioxidants & Our Diets

Antioxidants

*Antioxidants & Our Diets*

Good afternoon reader, hope you’re good today?

I’m picking another topic today. You might have in recent times been hearing the word ‘anti-oxidants’. What are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are substances found naturally in food. They help in protecting our body’s cells from damge caused by harmful molecules called free radicals. I would not like to write much about free radials today as that might lead us to another topic on its own. But I’d like you to know that some free radicals are formed from normal body processes when it uses oxygen. Others come from pollutants such as cigarette smoke. Now I’d like to repeat that antioxidants protects our cells from the damage caused by these free radicals. Please do not forget.

Just for a moment, imagine your body like your car. It rusts when the metal in the car reacts with oxygen. If you cover it with a protective coating, it doesn’t rust as quickly. Similarly, eating foods that contains antioxidants everyday can help protect your body from free radical damage

Antioxidants help to keep you healthy and may also help prevent some chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. There are many different types of antioxidants that can be found in food. Some examples are vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium.

Phytochemicals, compound found naturally in plants, may also act as antioxidants. Some phytochemicals are flavonoids, polyphenols and carotenoids.

Thanks for reading,
Article By: Immanuel Rottex

Food, Nutrients & Health