Antioxidant Benefits

According to research antioxidants are very important nutrients that the human body requires and should be a part of everyone's daily food intake. Like many, you are probably wondering exactly what are antioxidants. Well, antioxidants are those nutrients contained in foods that slow the oxidation damage done to the cells in the body. This is super important because the body burns oxygen for energy. When the body burns oxygen it naturally produces free radicals which damage the body, cause aging, and leads to all sorts of health problems which include everything from cancer to heart disease.

Antioxidants(Benefits)
Researchers suggest that everyone who is concerned about their health add foods containing natural antioxidants to their diet daily. Researchers also discovered that taking antioxidants helps strengthen the immune system and fight free radical damage.

Why We Need More Antioxidants
The body is constantly in the process of burning oxygen to supply a continual level of energy to the body. Antioxidants help strengthen the body and fight damage to the body caused by massive oxidation. Consequently, those who have very low levels of antioxidants in the body are more prone to disease and aging. Adding antioxidants to the diet should not be that difficult. And is a great way to jump start a healthy eating program.

Antioxidant Rich Foods
Try adding a few antioxidant rich foods to your diet each day to get the benefits. The major antioxidants include Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and beta carotene. These antioxidants are usually found in fruits and vegetables.

Beta-carotene rich foods include:
Apricots
Asparagus
Beets
Broccoli
Carrots
Corn
Turnips
Collard greens
Peaches
Sweet potato
Tangerines
Tomatoes
Watermelon

Vitamin C Rich Foods include:
Berries,
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Grapefruit
Nectarine
Oranges
Sweet potato
Tomatoes

Vitamin E Rich Foods include:
Broccoli
Carrots
Mustard greens
Turnip greens
Nuts
Red peppers
Sunflower seeds

While foods with antioxidants are readily avaialble, many might prefer taking supplements. The supplement also help boost the immune system and fight free radical damage to the body which causes disease and aging.








source:
www.webmd.com/
United States Dept. Agriculture