Do you know what are antioxidants? Well, one might probably read this at some health benefit article or in some health news. The reason for that is because these are very important for the body. It is present in the bodies together with the free radicals. These two have a relationship when it comes to making the body healthy. I will ask two questions then. Do you ever feel that your body lack something? Does it make you lifeless or dull? If your answer is yes, then you might possibly require eating foods that contain a high amount of these substances. Then, what food shall I eat? Well in order to know more, continue reading below because this what this article is all about. You will also get to know about the different health benefits of antioxidants.
Antioxidants: What is it and why it is important?
There are many ways on how to describe what the antioxidants to our bodies. One of the ways to describe is that it any substance that is inhibiting oxidation. An example is the one that removes the potential damaging oxidizing agents in a living organism. Another example is the one used to counteract the deterioration of the stored food products.
These include several food-based substances you may possibly hear before like the carotenoids such as lycopene, Vitamin C, and carotene.
Sources that have these like herbs, teas, spices, and foods are reducing the effects of the free radicals. The free radicals that are also known as oxidative stress/damage are playing a major role in the formation of diseases. The leading health problems like cancer and dementia have been linked to the increased of the inflammation and oxidative damage levels. Simply speaking, the oxidation is a chemical reaction which can produce free radicals that leads to other chemical chain reactions which damage cells.
Including the sources of these in your diet gives you the help in counteracting the damage done by some things. These things include smoking, using drugs, sun exposure, blue light, medications, toxins, and even high amount of stress. These fight the free radical damage by protecting the healthy cells while halting the cancerous cells growth.
Foods Rich in Antioxidants
Adding this to our diet may be easier than we think. We will give you the foods, herb and even supplement that contains a high amount of these. We will base this on their Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity or ORAC score. The ORAC is a method on how to measure the in vitro capacity of different supplement and foods.
Below is the table that contains the foods and supplements that have the high amount of these substances:
| Principle | ORAC Score |
| FOODS | |
| Artichoke, Boiled | 9,416 |
| Blackberries, Raw | 5,905 |
| Cilantro Leaves, Raw | 5,141 |
| Cranberries, Raw | 9,090 |
| Dark Chocolate Candies | 20,816 |
| Elderberries, Raw | 14,697 |
| Goji Berry, Dried | 4,310 |
| Pecan, Nuts | 17,940 |
| Red Kidney Beans, Raw | 8,606 |
| Wild Blueberries, Raw | 9,621 |
| HERBS | |
| Basil, Dried | 61,063 |
| Cinnamon Spice, Ground | 131,420 |
| Cocoa Powder, Unsweetened | 55,653 |
| Cumin Seed Spice | 50,372 |
| Ginger, Ground | 39,041 |
| Ground Cloves Spice | 290,283 |
| Oregano spice, Dried | 175,295 |
| Parsley, Dried | 73,670 |
| Thyme, Fresh | 27,426 |
| Turmeric Spice, Ground | 127,068 |
Furthermore, you can get these also in the supplements. Remember, if you eat a varied diet and you are healthy, you might possibly not benefit much from the supplements. Moreover, take note also to go to the doctor before taking supplements especially if you are at risk for heart disease and vision loss.
Below are the supplements that might be helpful:
Glutathione. This is considered to be the most important antioxidant in the body. The reason is that it is found in the cells and is helping in boosting the activities of the other vitamins and other compounds. Furthermore, it consists of three key amino acids which play several vital roles in our bodies like the destruction of cancer cells and detoxification.- Quercetin. Studies show that has little to no side effects in people who have the high in quercetin diet or taking supplements in the short The amount up to 500 mg that is taken twice daily for 12 weeks is safe for managing several inflammatory problems. These inflammatory health problems include the allergies, infections, heart diseases and blood vessel problems, and autoimmune disorders symptoms.
Health Benefits of Antioxidants
We already know how important these are in our bodies. Now we will give you the health benefits these can give. Below are some of the health benefits of glutathione:
- It helps in decreasing the risk of cancer. Studies show that these with the Vitamin A and Vitamin C can help in preventing or treating many forms of cancer. The reason is they have the ability in controlling the malignant cells in the body and causing cell arrest and destruction of the cancer cells.
- It protects the eyes and vision. The Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and the beta-carotene have the positive effects on preventing the macular degeneration. Many foods also have the Zeaxanthin and Lutein which are nicknamed eye vitamins that can found in brightly foods like vegetables and fruits.
- It slows down the effect of ageing. As we already discussed above, the most important is that it is counteracting the free radical inside our bodies. The free radicals are responsible for contributing to several health issues and have connections to diseases such premature aging of the eyes or skin and cancer.
