What the Heck is an Antioxidant Anyway?

We are hearing a lot about antioxidants these days. The latest craze is pomegranates, very high in antioxidants. Now I have touted green tea, lemons and bananas, all vey high in antioxidants. So just what is an antioxidant?

Not to bore you with too much science but there is an irony about oxygen. We need it to survive but that molecule likes to hang out in twos. Oxygen in the air is actually O2 because there is a free electron in the molecule and it attaches itself easily to other molecules. This O2 molecule corrodes (actually oxidizes) metals and the fruits you cut open turn brown due to this molecule.

In our bodies that oxidation causes aging and is linked to a score of diseases like heart disease, macular degeneration and cancer. So as the name implies an antioxidant is the opposite. It keeps the damage from oxidants away and can actually repair damaged cells. In a very simple sense, antioxidants are anti-aging.

You’ll hear about “Free-radicals” which are damage causing and antioxidants as free radical killers or absorbers. Free-radicals come from all those processed foods that I have been talking about, as well as processed oils, smoking, and excessive sun exposure.

Back to that fruit turning brown. A little lemon or lime juice on an apple or avocado will prevent the fruit from turning brown. That is antioxidants at work.

So where do we get these antioxidants? They are found in many foods. A variety of fruits and vegetables have them as well as red meat, fish , eggs.

There are more than one kind of antioxidant because our bodies are very complex and an overabundance of one kind or another of antioxidants can actually be harmful to the body. So we need a variety of them to meet up with the complexity of our bodies. Common types are Vitamins A, C and E. Selenium, Phytochemicals, Flavonoids, polypherols and lycopene to name a few more. CLICK HERE  for a very nice link to a page from Healthcastle.com with all the antioxidants listed with lots of examples and pictures of the various foods in each category.

The simplest way to get antioxidants is to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Experts agree that we need a minimum of 5 servings a day. Most people do not meet the minimum, either through laziness or lack of knowledge. Supplements can be dangerous if large doses are taken. So downing lots of pills to make up for proper eating is probably not so good. CLICK HERE to learn about a liquid supplement that has been proven to be quite high in antioxidants. So everyone, eats lots of fruits and vegetables and let’s all stay young together.