Fight Back Against Free Radicals, Arm Yourself With Antioxidants!
Antioxidants: Eat more fruits and vegetables How often have we heard that? Fresh fruits and vegetables are packed with abundant anti-oxidants—and anti-oxidants have been very much in the health news headlines lately. Put in your order for, Krill D3 Mankind evolved on Earth when it was already filled with plant life, and plants influenced human evolution. Plants interact with the atmosphere differently than humans. While humans consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide, plants take in carbon dioxide from the air and produce oxygen. This oxygen produced by plants is a chemically reactive compound that would damage and kill the plant, so plants evolved the ability to make anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E and colorful chemicals to protect their cells from the damaging effects of oxygen. This system sometimes breaks down and the damage from oxygen can be seen when a houseplant gets too little light or water and its leaves turn brown.
The oxygen we breathe can also damage human tissues, as illustrated by the damaging effects of 100 percent oxygen in intensive care units, where the lung tissue can be destroyed without proper protection. Like plants, humans evolved defense systems that are based on circulating substances and proteins. These systems are reinforced with the intake of anti-oxidants in the diet from colorful fruits and vegetables. There is overwhelming data showing that populations that consume a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables have lower risks of many common chronic diseases. It takes very little to avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies, but the optimal levels of intake of anti-oxidants are likely greater than the amounts needed to avoid deficiency. Vitamin C For example, humans, unlike many species of animals, have lost the gene for making Vitamin C, because it was part of ancient mankind’s diet, which was rich in Vitamin C from fruits and vegetables. Eating a single orange provides twice the recommended amount of Vitamin C needed to prevent Vitamin C deficiency. In the 1750s, sailors in the British navy developed the disease called scurvy, characterized by bleeding gums, corkscrew hairs and ultimately death, from a lack of Vitamin C. It was customary for sailors to eat no plants at sea. However, once it was discovered that eating limes or other citrus prevented scurvy, citrus became part of the sailors’ diets (which is why British sailors were called limeys). Today, inadequate intake of antioxidants is not as noticeable as the deficiency disease of scurvy, but the inadequate intake of plants, including colorful fruits and vegetables, is thought to be associated with many chronic diseases of aging. Anti-oxidants are substances also found in foods which can prevent or slow the effects of oxidative damage on our cells. Our cells naturally use oxygen, and when they do, they produce by-products called free radicals. These are the bad guys. They can cause all kinds of damage, wreaking havoc with many different kinds of cells. Anti-oxidants are the good guys on white horses. They act as free radical scavengers in our blood stream, swooping down to attack and eliminate them—hence preventing and repairing cell damage.Health problems such as heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, cancer and symptoms of aging (wrinkled skin, dull brittle hair, reduced muscle tone) are all caused or worsened by oxidative damage. But anti-oxidants are powerful protectants that also improve immune defense, and reduce the risk of many cancers and infections. They are readily obtainable in a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. A recent study conducted by researchers from London found that just 5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of stroke by 25 percent. Many experts recommend as many as 8 servings a day of a wide variety of intensely colored produce for the best anti-oxidant protection.
Okay, we know we should eat more of these vitally nutritious foods. We do! And we try… but, so often, our busy schedules and grab-and-go meals keep us from eating the way we know we should. Then there’s the perennial problem of having produce on hand, at its optimal ripeness and freshness, when we’re ready to eat it. So often, fruit is hard and unripe when we buy it, and then, well… we forget about it. Peaches and plums turn to green-fuzzed mush, peppers and zucchini slowly collapse in the fridge drawers... sound familiar? We know those fruits and vegetables won’t do us any good unless we actually eat them at their peak of freshness. Otherwise, it’s a waste of nutrition and our hard-earned money. Well, there’s another way. a supplement that can help fill your nutritional gaps with anti=oxidants. A tablet with each meal can help provide the antioxidants and phytonutrients, that your body needs. You can also have your fruits and vegetables and drink them, too! Another delicious option to get those important antioxidants is tea. Drink Tea, that is refreshing and energizing, that combines ancient herbal wisdom with modern-day convenience.
"Other Websites Of Interest" antioxidants-guide.com discusses antioxidants and how they affect our daily lives. How to slow down aging and help prevent diseases like cancer. What are the best antioxidant foods, drink and vitamin supplements. Your guide to a healthier,active longer life.
Return from Anti-oxidants To Fruits And Vegetables
|
