• March 29, 2024

All You Need to Know about Antioxidants

 All You Need to Know about Antioxidants

Smoke, pollution, and viruses affect the human cell in various ways, resulting in chronic diseases. What would you do if you experienced various health problems? Even though some health problems are not easy to fight, you can try to avoid the predictable health problems by eating some natural antioxidant-rich foods. 

Since antioxidants work best with other nutrients, they can also positively affect your health. Various plants, fruits, and vegetables can provide you with ample antioxidants. 

However, you can read this article if you feel you have a lot to know about antioxidants and antioxidant supplements

What Are Antioxidants?

You might wonder what antioxidants are or why these are so essential for your body. The definition of antioxidants is rather simple. 

The human body has billions and trillions of cells. But all of them get threatened by the lack of food, viruses, sun heat, smoking, etc. Another constant threat your human body faces regularly is the threat from a chemical called free radicals. If your body starts producing more free radicals, then your body can get damaged. 

But can the free radicals damage your body? They can indeed damage the cells and genetic materials, causing cancer and other undefeatable diseases. So, even though we could suggest to you thousands of times to avoid smoking, air pollution and extreme sunlight can cause the same problem. 

The human body is defenseless against cell damage and free radicals. However, you can generate free radical fighters inside your body by consuming certain foods rich in antioxidants. The best antioxidant can repair the DNA and helps the human body to remain healthy. 

How Many Antioxidants Are There? 

There are hundreds and thousands of antioxidant substances. But the most famous ones are: 

  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin E
  • Beta-carotene
  • Manganese
  • Selenium

Antioxidant-Rich Food Sources

So many of you prefer to consume antioxidant vitamin tablets. But those can have some side effects on you. Besides, if eaten too much, any tablet can negatively affect your body. So, why not consider eating natural antioxidant supplements? You can eat various nuts, vegetables and berries to produce antioxidants in your body. 

In this segment, we shall discuss some antioxidant-rich foods. 

  1. Dark chocolate

Are you a chocolate lover? Then we suggest you keep eating chocolates without harming your body. Why? Because dark chocolate is not only tasty, but they are nutritious as well. Dark chocolate has more minerals, antioxidants and cocoa than other chocolates. 

According to the FRAP analysis, dark chocolate contains fifteen million antioxidants in 3.5 ounces, making it more beneficial than raspberries and blueberries. 

  1. Blueberries

Blueberries are one of the essential sources of antioxidants. They have 9.2 mmol of antioxidants in every hundred grams. According to some studies, blueberries can produce more antioxidants in the human body than other common types of fruits. Your body can reduce inflammation and neutralise the harmful free radicals in blueberries. 

  1. Strawberries

Strawberries are undoubtedly the most popular berries in the world. Despite being sweet and delicious, they are rich in vitamin c and antioxidants. According to the FRAP analysis, strawberries have nearly 5.4 mmol of antioxidants in every hundred grams. So, if you want to consume natural antioxidant vitamins, you can build a habit of eating strawberries regularly. 

  1. Kale

Apart from being a member of Brassica Oleracea, Kale has more benefits than you can imagine. Kale is also rich in antioxidants. It contains Vitamins A, C and K. You can get around 2.7mmol of antioxidants in every hundred grams of Kale.  

But you can get 4.1 mmol of antioxidants in every hundred grams of Redbor or Russian Kale. Since these kales contain more anthocyanin and other antioxidants, they look more colourful than others. 

  1. Beet

Beet, famously known as beetroot, is rich in folate, iron, potassium, fibre and antioxidants. Beets are particularly rich in betalains, a type of antioxidant. That is why beets are red and provide so many health benefits. 

According to a FRAP analysis, every 100 grams of beet has 1.7 mmol of antioxidants. 

  1. Spinach

Spinach is a very common and easily found food source rich in antioxidants. It is also filled with minerals and vitamins and contains very few calories. You can get 1.4 mmol of antioxidants in every hundred grams of spinach.  

The antioxidants in spinach help fight eye problems caused by free radicals over time. So, we can fairly say that it is the best antioxidant supplement you can find so easily.

Benefits of Antioxidants

We have already discussed that antioxidants help to prevent cell damage. But this is not the only thing that antioxidants do. They can also help the body stay protected from inflammation, cancer, especially, colon cancer, oxidative stress, various heart diseases, and other chronic diseases.

So, let’s discuss some of the benefits of antioxidants below. 

  1. As you might know, berries are rich in antioxidants. But how can the antioxidants in blueberries help you stay safe? According to a 2o16 review, anthocyanins, a type of antioxidant present in blueberries, can help lower the bad cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein, resulting in preventing various chronic heart diseases.
  2. Red cabbage, an antioxidant-rich food, contains ample amounts of vitamins K, C, and A. Red cabbage, too, like strawberries and blueberries, contains a lot of anthocyanins. This type of antioxidant can help to prevent cancer and inflammation, and it also maintains heart health. 

Anthocyanins can also add some more benefits to your health. They include: 

  • Anthocyanins can control weight.
  • It is good for diabetes maintenance. 
  1. Beans are also rich in antioxidants. Pinto beans contain a plant flavonoid named kaempferol, which helps prevent various cancers like breast cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, etc.  

Conclusion

Many people focus on eating healthy foods besides maintaining a healthy body weight. So, if you too fall in the category of one of those health-conscious people, we suggest you start eating antioxidant-rich food. Eating antioxidant-rich food can be beneficial in the long run. From preventing you from suffering from any chronic heart disease, they can also prevent cancer.

Shabbir Ahmad

https://expertsadvices.net

Shabbir Ahmed is a professional blogger, writer, SEO expert & founder of Dive in SEO. With over 5 years of experience, he handles clients globally & also educates others with different digital marketing tactics.