There are not a lot of people who especially want to be sick, but at the same time, there are not a lot of people who truly know how important antioxidants are for keeping them healthy. Antioxidants, to explain them in the most foundational manner, prevent or impair the oxidation of other molecules. While this can sound like a bad thing on the surface, keep in mind that there are plenty of molecules you do not want oxidized. For instance, brain disease is closely associated with the oxidation of certain molecules. Heart disease is another illness that antioxidants can help prevent. Finally, through exercise you can open yourself up to over-oxidation, which can lead to muscle fatigue. It is therefore extremely important for people to know what foods will introduce antioxidants into their bodies.

Some antioxidants are vitamins, such as Vitamin C and Vitamin E. This means that many fruits and vegetables are a great source for antioxidants. By regularly consuming fruits and vegetables as part of your normal diet, you will keep adding antioxidants into your body, and you will aid in your body’s ability to fight off diseases.

Fish is another excellent source of antioxidants. Salmon and flounder are specially great fish, as they not only provide antioxidants, but provide proteins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids as well. Furthermore, you should cook this fish in extra virgin olive oil, which will further increase your antioxidant intake.

Finally, three easy ways to add antioxidants into your body are by drinking green tea, eating dark chocolate, and drinking red wine. While wine and chocolate are not good for your body when consumed in excess, both are very helpful if you take them in small doses. And as for green tea, you can add antioxidants into your body and have a thoroughly relaxing drink, all at the same time. Each of these three is a very easy and even enjoyable way to keep your body healthy by introducing antioxidants.

Sure, it is pretty easy to ignore all the things that will keep us healthy, but it is nearly as easy to not ignore them! And in addition to being relatively easy, paying attention to what you put into your body will keep you healthy, and it will increase your enjoyment of life.

Everyone wants to grow old gracefully. Some go under the knife to get that youthful look while others opt for a more natural way to maintain that healthful glow. The way to make peace with age can be found in the types of foods that we eat and the miracle ingredient they contain.

This hidden “miracle” is called antioxidants. They have graced the pages of magazines, medical journals and every product from hand cream to supplement pills. But what are antioxidants and what can they do to keep you looking your best?

Antioxidants are substances that fight the aging process that goes on in your body. They are not produced by the body so to get the benefit of these power-packed substances you must ingest them. A variety of foods contain antioxidants.

Let’s go back to the beginning. The body continually replenishes its cells. Through a process called cellular metabolism, the body produces energy, more cells and repairs any damage. One by-product of cellular metabolism is unstable molecules called free radicals.

Free radicals are molecules that damage your body. They are unstable because they are missing an electron. To get another one and become stable, free radicals will steal electrons from cells. That theft damages the cells in a variety of ways.

The results are visible and invisible changes to our bodies. The development of diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis and neurological deficiencies may begin to affect you as you age. Also, thinner skin wrinkles and brittle bones are a problem. Free radicals enter our body from outside sources as well: cigarette smoke, radiation and the sun’s UV rays. The more free radicals we encounter, the greater the damage that can be done.

Antioxidants have been shown to be of great help in the free radical problem. Antioxidant substances combine with free radicals and neutralize them. Once they are neutralized, they can no longer do any damage. Scientists don’t have any idea of a recommended daily dose of antioxidants to correct free radical damage and the diseases that come with age, but they do know that eating foods rich in antioxidants makes a huge difference in how we live.

Where do you find antioxidants? They are all around us. Look no further than your local farmer’s market or produce aisle in the grocery store. Fruits and vegetables contain the principle sources of antioxidants.

Examples of antioxidants include:
* Vitamin C
* Vitamin A
* Vitamin E
* Lutein
* Lycopene
* Beta-carotene

Certain minerals like zinc and selenium also function in the body. They are not antioxidants but they boost the immune system to fight against free radical damage.

Antioxidants are also found in nuts, legumes, cold water fish, seafood and red meat. So, eating a varied diet of fruits, vegetables and the foods just named will increase the amount of antioxidants in your system and help reduce the incidence of disease. Eating fruits and vegetables in their natural form instead of juices brings the benefit of other nutrients found in the foods. Juices also contain a lot of sugar that is not needed by your body.

Food does more than stave off hunger. Natural substances found there can cause us to live longer and stay free of disease as we age.

For a while it seemed like vitamin E was the cure-all miracle, but enthusiasm for vitamin E supplements has died down. What do the most recent findings report about vitamin E?

Why do you need vitamin E? Vitamin E is a compound needed for healthy nerves and muscles. It also performs an unusual function, which is to prevent a particular chemical reaction in your body called “oxidation”, which can hurt you. Much of the enthusiasm behind vitamin E as a supplement was directly linked to the belief that vitamin E acted as an antioxidant, and reducing chances of developing cancer, but sadly, this does not appear to be the case. On the contrary, megadoses of vitamin E can be detrimental.

What are the best sources of vitamin E? Natural sources of vitamin E are eggs, meat, vegetable oils, nut oils, nuts, leafy greens, grains and some fruit. Vegans may want to ensure they eat plenty of nuts and nut oils,plus leafy greens and vegetable oils, just to make sure they’re getting enough vitamin E naturally.

Are you getting enough vitamin E? You should keep your vitamin E intake to between 22 IU (International Units) and 400 IU. This is very different from the trends of the past, which insinuated that megadoses of vitamin E was good for you, which now is suspected to actually cause serious health issues.

Should you take vitamin E supplements? Don’t take vitamin E supplements unless your doctor approves and gives you concrete reasons behind taking them. While our bodies absorb some nutrients from supplements, it appears that our bodies prefer natural sources of vitamin E over supplements. If you’ve got vitamin E oil capsules sitting around, you can use vitamin E oil topically to deal with skin conditions and promote faster healing of wounds. It seems most advisable to consume your daily amount of vitamin E through your diet and supplement using a respected multivitamin instead of trying megadose supplements.