Health and Antioxidants – why do we need them?

As we age, the number of healthy cells in our bodies decline. The reserves of cells in each of the body organs also reduce. This reserve capacity measures how we respond to stress and how well our bodies recover from illness. This is called the glucose tolerance measurement – and this also shows a loss as the body ages. The process of ageing is called oxidative damage.

Oxidative damage can show up in the body by causing us to become ill with chronic inflammation like arthritis, frequent infections, cancer and heart disease.

However, anti-oxidants come to the rescue and are the first line of health defence against the damage caused by free radicals. A good intake of anti-oxidants are vital if we are to live long healthy lives. Many studies have shown that the amounts of anti-oxidants we need are much larger than those recommended by Recommended Daily Allowances(RDAs)

How do antioxidants work?

To explain how anti-oxidants work, think of how the cut part of an apple turns brown when it is exposed to the air for long enough: This is oxidative damage. Now if you put a cut part of an apple into some lemon or orange juice, the antioxidant Vitamin C slows down the browning or oxidising process.

In the same way, Antioxidants also protect the body’s cells and organs from being damaged or destroyed by free radicals. They also help protect the body from damage by disease. They help to boost the health of the immune system and increase resistance to infection and have been shown to reverse some diseases by destroying these free radicals.

What are free Radicals?

Free radicals are highly unstable compounds that can enter the body and cause damage to the body’s cells. Free radicals can alter a healthy cell and can kill it or turn it into a cancerous one. They are also called oxidants. The balance between your intake of anti-oxidants and your exposure to free radicals can literally be the difference between life and death

Free radicals can be formed from smoking, from exhaust fumes, radiation, and frying or barbecuing food. They can also be generated in the body and can alter cell structures. Free radicals are also produced from pesticides and from the chemical processing and refining of food.

For example, by turning harmless oil from seeds into a solid fat like margarine or vegetable fat, a process known as hydrogenation is used. After this process is done, there is hardly anything left of the nutrients in the original food. Then when we heat these processed oils, in either solid form or liquid form, it produces free radicals called trans-fats. This is why deep fried foods are such bad news for our health.

Free radicals in limited numbers are necessary in order to destroy foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses by the immune system. It is when they multiply beyond a level that is beneficial that they cause us harm.

How can we avoid free radicals?

We can avoid free radicals in the diet by:

Not eating browned or burnt foods

Eating whole unprocessed foods, like fruit -especially berries.

Eating more vegetables -especially spinach, sweet potatoes, avocado, carrots, peas and beans, broccoli and watercress

By boiling, poaching and steaming food instead of frying or barbecuing

Avoiding all hydrogenated oils like margarine and vegetable fat.

Genetically modified (GM) foods also have the potential to introduce free radicals into the body and should be avoided.

Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly or peel them if you are intending to eat them raw to ensure they are not contaminated by pesticides or herbicides.

Drink Teas rather than coffee, especially those rich in anti-oxidants. One popular drink that is rich in powerful, natural antioxidants is Wu long tea, which is between the green and black tea families.

Ideally all foods in the diet should be organically produced. Drink plenty of clean water, avoid too much alcohol and lastly, avoid wrapping food in PVC cling film.

What are the best antioxidants?

You should eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. But to ensure the body gets enough antioxidants, it is best to supplement the main vitamins and minerals as there is not nearly enough contained in food these days. Another reason is that food, once cooked, can have very little of the original nutrient left. The main antioxidants to supplement are :

Vitamin A as beta-carotene- found in all red, yellow and orange vegetables and fruit

Vitamin C which is found in all vegetables and fruit.

Vitamin E found in foods like nuts, seeds and whole grains.

Other important antioxidant supplements :

Selenium, Cysteine, Zinc, Coenzyme Q10, and Grape seed extract

It would also be a good idea to include a good pro-biotic like Acidophilus in the diet as gastric problems and poor digestion are often a problem for those over the age of 50. The good bowel flora these contain would help you getting the maximum amount of nutrients from food and help to boost the immune system.

What else can we do to stay healthy?

Take moderate exercise – 20 minutes 3 times a week is the minimum

Get good nights sleep in a dark room

How smoking causes far more disease that was at first thought
Smoking is associated with lung cancer but there are other illnesses and diseases caused by smoking that you may not realise.

Listed here are some of the best and most studied foods high in antioxidants.

There is a little known berry found in the rainforest of Brazil called Acai berry. I would recommend finding a source with this powerful antioxidant in it. I personally recommend Acai Plus. Not only does it have the Acai berry juice in it but also many other strong antioxidants like Mangosteen fruit juice and the famous Goji berry juice along with over 100 other nutritional ingredients. For a more detailed list of ingredients and more information about Acai Plus you can go here: AcaiPlus
If you want to read more, go here

You can save your eyesight! Protect Your Eyesight provides information you can use to prevent injuries, illnesses and first aid, and prepare for any that do happen to your eyesight. Learn about Antioxidants and Free radicals to help you live a better life.

Find out about how to slow down the aging process And how the science of Longevity Medicine is the future of health care

Back to Home Page

What a well balanced diet really means to your health