Antioxidant Vitamins What Can They Do for You?
Posted by Michael Byrd on Aug 11 2008 | Tagged as: Healthy Eating Habits
There’s no doubt about it “ we need oxygen in order to live. But do you know that it can also be your worst enemy?
Yes, it’s true. Too much oxygen is bad for you. It can trigger harmful chemical reactions within the body and cause damage at the cellular level. Think about what rust and corrosion can do to your car “ that’s a fine illustration of how harmful too much oxygen can be for your body! And that’s primarily the reason why you need to take in dietary antioxidants.
So, what are antioxidants and how can they help you? Antioxidants are the naturally occurring phytonutrients found in certain colorful fruits and vegetables. They protect human cells from the damage inflicted by free radicals, which can range from inflammation, aging, arterial damage and cancer. Antioxidants also protect you against the common cold, flu, and several drug resistant diseases.
This is the reason why the National Academy of Science, the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with the Department of Health and Human Resources, all recommend eating nine servings of colorful fruits and vegetables daily.
To determine what foods contain the most antioxidants, the Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University conducted their own research. And guess what they discovered? According to the results of their study, berries, apricots, watermelon, carrots, spinach, broccoli and Brussels sprouts contain the most antioxidants. However, it is interesting to note that some of the most popular fruits and vegetables such as apples, bananas and iceberg lettuce did not even make it to the list.
And here’s more – the most commonly used ingredients in some of the antioxidant supplements in the market are also not on the list! Take a note of that important fact. Alpha lipoic acid, ginkgo biloba, grape seed extract, milk thistle, pine bark (pycnogenol), sea algae, and quercetin did not make it to the list!
Be careful when choosing your supplement. Always look to whole food supplements that are sourced from foods you (and research authorities) recognize. Ask youself, “Will I find these ingredients on a salad bar?” And second, “Has anyone ever died from a deficiency of any of these ingredients?”
If you answered “no” to these questions, then consider looking for better choices. And make sure it belongs to the human food chain, and not some hyped-up mystery ingredients that are not proven to live up to its promises.
