Antioxidant Foods
Last time I checked, oxygen was still the main element that makes life on earth possible. That’s why, the first time that I heard of the benefits of antioxidants, and how important they are, I decided I had to know more about them.
The list of antioxidants benefits is very long: they are good for the skin, they prevent genetic mutations that cause terrible illnesses, and they help fight cancer and the effects of smoking.
My question was: if antioxidants are so good, does it mean that oxygen is not such a good guy after all? Let’s try to clear this misunderstanding in a few words. The process of oxidation of cells is a chemical reaction that takes place in our body millions of times in millions of cells: its purpose is to produce energy. The waste products of this oxidation process are the so-called free radicals. From a biochemical standpoint the free radicals are instable molecules, because the only have one electron. During the cellular metabolism, the free radicals are transformed into hydrogen peroxide, which is not something you want in your body. Antioxidants can stop this last transformation of the free radicals by providing them with the missing electron.
Our body actually endogenously produces antioxidants as a mechanism of self defense against this action of the free radicals, but the quantity is limited and an extra help from the outside is generally necessary. However, before thinking of an antioxidant supplement, the main resource should be an antioxidant diet. A balanced diet should be enough to provide all the antioxidants foods our body needs. Antioxidant supplements are for those who have an unbalanced diet or lead a sedentary lifestyle.
In nature there are many antioxidant foods. The most important are vegetable pigments (Polyphenols, bioflavonoids), vitamins (C, E, beta-carotene), and micronutrients (like selenium, zinc, copper, glutathione, coenzyme Q10).
Polyphenols have anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties and are an effective protection against cancer and various heart diseases. They can be found in colored vegetables and in their by-products: cabbage, carrot, pumpkin, spinach, peppers, lettuce etc.
The foods with high content of bioflavonoids are antioxidant fruits like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, prunes, apricots, melons, apples, oranges, red grapes. Blueberries also contain anthocyanins, which are a very effective protection for the capillaries and the retina. Red grapes are also rich in resveratrol (see my post about how to lose weight now with the red grape diet), a powerful defense against cholesterol. Flavonoids can also be found in tea leaves.
Vitamin C: contained mostly in citrus fruits, it’s not stored by the body, it’s therefore very important to make sure the daily intake is constant.
Vitamin E: it was popular in the past for its alleged anti-hysterias properties, it is an effective protection for the cell membranes and the red blood cells.
Another powerful antioxidant is Melatonin, which is cyclically praised or denigrated. An integration of melatonin can be a great help against insomnia and jet-lag effects, and also against anxiety and depression.
It is important to note that each antioxidant is only effective against one or two free radicals; therefore a balanced diet is crucial for an effective antioxidant therapy.
New antioxidant products are launched everyday, and it’s a still partly unexplored world, but we can safely say that, other than the one and only legitimate cause of free radicals: energy production, there are other external causes of oxidation: smoking, stress, solar radiations, chronic fatigue. Even before entering a pharmacy, we could and should change our habits, following these 10 simple rules:
1. Sleeping enough
2. Eating a proper quantity and quality of food
3. Drinking alcohol in moderation
4. Losing weight in excess
5. Avoiding, when possible, a hectic life
6. Exercising, moderately but constantly
7. Giving up smoking
8. Avoiding, especially during summer direct exposure to sunlight
9. Turning off the TV and reading a book instead
10. Starting a hobby, making sure it doesn’t become a new stress generator