Better Nutrition Article:
Antioxidants and Your Health
Get back to the basics - eat fresh at home and neutralize free radical oxidation, which is rusting away your body, by eating a variety of foods high in antioxidants every day.
Why? Antioxidants, as the name implies, help prevent oxidation, may help increase immune function and possibly decrease risk of infection and cancer.
A few of the better known antioxidants include carotenoids-- the substance that gives fruits and vegetables their deep rich colors. Apricots, broccoli, pumpkin, cantaloupes, spinach and sweet potatoes, are some good choices in addition to lycopene in tomatoes. Vitamin C and E are also good antioxidants.
What's a Free Radical Anyways?
As cells function normally in the body, they produce damaged molecules called free radicals. These free radicals steal parts from other molecules such as fat, protein, or DNA, thereby spreading the damage.
This damage continues in a chain reaction, and entire cells soon become damaged and die. This process is useful because it helps the body destroy cells that have outlived their usefulness and kills germs and parasites. However, this damage, when left unchecked, also destroys or damages healthy cells.
Antioxidants help prevent widespread cellular destruction by willingly donating their parts to stabilize free radicals. More importantly, antioxidants return to the surface of the cell to stabilize rather than damage other cellular components.
When there are not enough antioxidants to hold cell destruction in check, free radicals begin damaging healthy cells which, in turn, can lead to problems. For example, free radical damage to immune cells can lead to an increased risk of infections.
Your body needs to be able to repair this damage that occurs and protect itself from the free radicals before they impact your overall health. This is where antioxidants come to the rescue, because they significantly delay, inhibit, or prevent oxidation.
Your first line of defence is a natural diet full of a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. For all those times when your diet isn't perfect, make sure you have a safety net in place. Think of antioxidants as Rustoleum for your insides! and be sure to have a supplement in your medicine cabinet.
Best of health to you!
About the author: Glenn Beach is a poet, writer and home business entrepreneur in Nova Scotia, Canada. Free newsletter, more articles, and affiliate health products you can trust at: http://www.work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com
Related Better News and Articles From ezinearticles.com
Many people struggle translating the heaps of dietary advice they receive from their doctors and the mainstream media into reality. Everyone knows that it is better for you to eat fresh fish and steamed vegetables, for example, than a cheeseburger and a plate of greasy french fries.
People realize that when they eat a specific animal, it came from a specific location. For instance, if you were to eat venison, the deer you ate was probably hunted in a forest within the United States.
What are some simple changes you can make to your daily lunch routine to support your health? Try a quick lunch upgrade to help give you the energy you need to make it through your busy day.
Today's American society has begun eating a very unhealthy diet. We promote this diet through advertisements, and our busy lifestyles force us to make unhealthy choices. Most of us have become so accustomed to the way that we do things that we don't even realize how unhealthy our way of life has become.
These days many diet pills are available in the market which are often dangerous and packed with other unhealthy ingredients. Many of you also go on dieting plan for losing weight. When you go on a diet and starve, your body's survival instinct is triggered and you automatically go on energy saving mode. This reduces your metabolism and helps you burn fewer calories. In fact your body begins to feed on itself.
With poorer quality food items flooding shelves and far less active lifestyles taking hold, it's becoming increasingly difficult for Americans to stay in shape. This means there has been a steady rise in cardiovascular disease, as well as increased rates of diabetes and obesity nationwide.
Vegetarianism has become increasingly popular now that more of us are becoming familiar with all of the health benefits provided by a plant based diet. It is well established that a vegetarian diet decreases the chances of contracted many diseases and health conditions.
There are many reasons why individuals choose to become vegetarian. For this reason, there are just as many different degrees of vegetarianism. Some go the vegetarian route because of religious beliefs that promote peace between animals and humans. Others choose not to eat animals or animal byproducts because of ethical concerns for the way food animals are raised and treated.
Americans are recently discovering the benefits of eating a healthier, more natural diet. This change consists mainly of introducing more plant foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Often, even those of us who have made a commitment to do this feel overwhelmed because of our lack of knowledge of how to incorporate these healthier foods into our diets.
Are you considering becoming raw? Here are 5 easy tips to get started today!
