The Importance of Antioxidants in the Diet
April 22nd, 2008 | 
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Everyone has heard the news about antioxidants and their importance to good health and proper nutrition. It seems the more scientists learn about antioxidants, the more their value and potential increases. Antioxidants have shown promise in everything from preventing heart disease to slowing the degeneration of the eyes and brain.
Antioxidants work in a fairly straightforward way. What makes them so effective is their ability to neutralize a group of highly reactive, highly destructive compounds known as free radicals.
The production of free radicals is a normal bodily process, and it is part of the process of breathing and living. Free radicals are normally neutralized by the body’s natural defense system, rendering them harmless. However, anything that weakens the body’s natural defenses weakens its ability to fight off these free radicals. Those weakening agents include environmental pollution, excess UV radiation and even excessive consumption of alcohol.
When free radicals are not properly neutralized, the body is left open to damage. Free radicals can damage the structure and function of cells in the body, and recent evidence suggest that free radicals contribute to the aging process and may play a role in a great many illnesses, including cancer and heart disease.
While vitamin supplements containing antioxidants such as vitamin C can be important, there is no substitute for a healthy diet. It is estimated that foods contain more than 4,000 compounds that have antioxidant qualities. Eating a healthy diet is the only way to take advantage of these antioxidant properties. In addition to the well known antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E, healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains also contain lots of lesser antioxidants. Scientists are only now discovering the important role these lesser known antioxidants have in keeping the body healthy.
Let’s examine some of the dietary sources for the major antioxidant vitamins.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is probably the most studied of all the antioxidant vitamins. Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin found in all bodily fluids, and it is thought to be one of body’s first lines of defense against infection and disease. Since vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, it is not stored and must be consumed in adequate quantities every day. Good dietary sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits, green peppers, broccoli and other green leafy vegetables, strawberries, cabbage and potatoes.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver and other tissues. Vitamin E has been studied for its effects on everything from delaying the aging process to healing a sunburn. While vitamin E is not a miracle worker, it is an important antioxidant, and it is important that the diet contain sufficient amounts of vitamin E. Good dietary sources of this important nutrient include wheat germ, nuts, seeds, whole grains, vegetable oil, fish liver oil and green leafy veggies.
Beta-carotene
Beta-carotene is the nutrient that gives flamingos their distinctive pink color (they get it from the shrimp they eat). In the human world, beta-carotene is the most widely studied of over 600 carotenoids that have thus far been discovered. The role of beta-carotene in nature is to protect the skins of dark green, yellow and orange fruits from the damaging effects of solar radiation. Scientists believe that beta-carotene plays a similar protective role in the human body. Sources of beta-carotene in the diet include such foods as carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, collard greens, kale, cantaloupe, peaches and apricots.
Selenium
Selenium is one of the most important minerals in a healthy diet, and it has been studied for its ability to prevent cell damage. Scientists see this ability to protect cells from damage as possibly important in the prevention of cancer, and selenium is being studied for possible cancer preventative properties. It is important to get the selenium you need from your diet, since large doses of selenium supplements can be toxic. Fortunately, selenium is easily found in a healthy diet. Good sources of dietary selenium include fish and shellfish, red meat, whole grains, poultry and eggs, and garlic. Vegetables grown in selenium rich soils are also good sources of dietary selenium.
Posted in Eat Healthier
October 19th, 2008 2:07 pm
Great article - I find green tea is a good source of antioxidants. Green tea is also a good aid for fat loss IME.
Andy
Fitness Uncovered - Bodybuilding and Fitness
December 19th, 2008 6:13 pm
Great write up on antioxidants. A few months ago I was introduced to essential oils and a wolfberry juice called Ningxia Red by Gary Young. Because disease feeds in a non-oxygen rich environment it is vital to oxygenate our bodies with exercise and proper nutrition. Have you looked into health drinks like Ningxia Red, Mona-vie etc., in terms of their antioxidant score on the ORAC charts?
I am consuming a lot of these drinks including putting lemon essential oil into my water and feeling a lot healthier. If you don’t know about essential oils or Gary Young his site is at http://www.dgaryyoung.com - I found a lot of information regarding these products and how they can reduce antioxidants in the body.
January 4th, 2009 5:12 am
I do take my supplements.. but i have read that nothing beats the supplements you get from food directly!
April 21st, 2009 11:26 am
Thanks for such an excellent post
Thanks Neo
April 23rd, 2009 7:13 am
The best source of antioxidants is a daily dose of fruits and vegetables. Not many of us eat the RDA-recommended 2 to 3 cups of fruits and vegetables a day and at least 3 cups of green leafy vegetables a week. This would give us all the antioxidant vitamins and minerals mentioned in your blog. A good way to make sure you get antioxidants is through a good multi-vitamin supplement. I like MultiVescence because it contains Vitamins A, C and E as well as minerals like selenium, and beta carotene in citrus flavonoids, providing antioxidants, amino acids, CoQ10 and L-Glutamine. It is an effervescent vitamin, and this helps to maximize absorption of all nutrients in the body. So you don’t have to worry if your money is going down the drain.
May 7th, 2009 1:36 pm
It is important to eat a healthy diet to get all the nutrients our bodies need for good health. Doctors recommend that we eat a variety of foods with a colorful range. Different colored foods have different nutrients. All combined produce a synergy effect for our health. With busy lifestyles, most of us find it impossible to eat healthy consistently. A good multi-vitamin with minerals can supply our diet with these important antioxidants. Multi-vitamins using effervescent technology, like MultiVescence, make sure all nutrients are fully absorbed in our system, unlike vitamin capsules and tablets.
February 7th, 2011 4:04 pm
here i got little bit of new info, thanks
June 15th, 2011 3:23 pm
excellent post. diet for your health is important but get lose your weight is not good for our body. get good diet