You may be wondering why everyone is talking about antioxidants and why they are so important in your daily diet. With all the different diseases and illnesses that exist in the world today, proper nutrition is at the center of everyone’s thoughts. The role of nutrition is to minimize and prevent disease in the body.
Antioxidants are known to protect cells, arteries and organs from free radical damage caused by unstable molecules in the body.
Although there is no evidence that antioxidant vitamins prolong life, they are an essential part of a healthy diet. Antioxidants are found in a variety of healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
Many people don’t get enough antioxidants from their diet alone and don’t eat the recommended 7 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day to get adequate amounts of antioxidant vitamins.
Antioxidants include beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, selenium, and vitamins A, C, and E. Let’s break this list down to include examples.
First, the beta-carotene category includes foods like oranges, cantaloupes, mangoes, pumpkin, carrots, and sweet potatoes.
Next we have the lycopene category, which includes watermelon, pink grapefruit, tomatoes, and tomato-based foods like soups.
The third category, called lutein, is found in green vegetables like kale, Swiss chard, and romaine lettuce.
The fourth category of antioxidants is selenium, which includes meat and bread.
In the vitamin A category, we have egg yolks, carrots, and sweet potatoes. The nutrient vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables and green peppers. Finally, the nutrient vitamin E is found in nuts, wheat germ, corn and safflower oils.
That being said, antioxidants play an important role in your diet, lifestyle, and health.
The important thing here is that you should only be concerned with finding out the truth. What is usually overlooked is that eating the right foods improves your health and boosts your energy levels.
Your body needs essential nutrients every day and it is extremely important to understand that food is your ally, not your enemy.
Thanks to Lynn Burchard