People bandy around the term antioxidants freely. There are many antioxidants out there and it can mean one of the several hundred that have been identified. They are touted in everything from decreasing stress to stopping premature aging. But do you actually know what they are?
Antioxidants are the counter to oxidants. Oxidants in the body are generally oxygen molecules with the free electron, known as free radicals. The chemical interaction that occurs in our bodies in the presence of the free radicals causes great distress for bodies. It is literally an oxidation reaction, similar to what happens when iron rust.
But it's worse in our bodies. The free radicals can cause our cell walls to rupture and leak precious fluid, damage or DNA which can lead to cancer, alter the cholesterol in our bodies to damaging plaque, and disrupt the energy reactions within her body. Free radicals originate from toxins in our environment, food additives like preservatives and artificial sugars.
Fortunately, our first line of defense is antioxidants. Antioxidants attached to the free radicals and either neutralize them or remove them from our system. Some of the antioxidants include vitamin A, B, C, D, E, lycopene, quercetin, selenium, geranium and proanthocyanidins and so many more. These are found in abundance in whole foods.
You won't find them in packaged foods. You see, antioxidants are active molecules. They like doing their job of destroying free radicals and supporting life. Both of these are bad for the shelf life of boxed foods. Foods that are advertised as having lots of antioxidants generally don't because antioxidants cannot survive inside a box.
You also don't want to run out and buy the latest fad supplement because it has a lot of antioxidants. One of the latest is the raspberry ketones for weight loss. Yes, raspberries have a lot of antioxidants and the ketones can accelerate the heart and cause more weight loss. However, without a good supporting diet the problem is still there and the raspberry ketones can cause damage to your heart.
You can get a tremendous amount of antioxidants in a simple meal. I make a three course meal that is simply loaded with them. I start off with a salad of dark leafy greens topped with bell peppers, tomatoes, red onions with some cranberries, almonds and sunflower seeds. I like dressing of olive oil with herbs and spices to top it off. A 4oz piece of salmon, grilled and topped with a pat of herb butter sits next to a small pile of sweet potato fries and grilled asparagus with sautéed mushrooms. And then for dessert, yogurt with blueberries and strawberries mixed in topped with a few shavings of dark chocolate.
That one meal has nearly a full day's worth of antioxidants. Plus it is low-carb, low-fat, low-calorie with tremendous flavor. The perfect meal if you want to avoid things like stroke, arteriosclerosis, Parkinson's and diabetes.
Antioxidants are the counter to oxidants. Oxidants in the body are generally oxygen molecules with the free electron, known as free radicals. The chemical interaction that occurs in our bodies in the presence of the free radicals causes great distress for bodies. It is literally an oxidation reaction, similar to what happens when iron rust.
But it's worse in our bodies. The free radicals can cause our cell walls to rupture and leak precious fluid, damage or DNA which can lead to cancer, alter the cholesterol in our bodies to damaging plaque, and disrupt the energy reactions within her body. Free radicals originate from toxins in our environment, food additives like preservatives and artificial sugars.
Fortunately, our first line of defense is antioxidants. Antioxidants attached to the free radicals and either neutralize them or remove them from our system. Some of the antioxidants include vitamin A, B, C, D, E, lycopene, quercetin, selenium, geranium and proanthocyanidins and so many more. These are found in abundance in whole foods.
You won't find them in packaged foods. You see, antioxidants are active molecules. They like doing their job of destroying free radicals and supporting life. Both of these are bad for the shelf life of boxed foods. Foods that are advertised as having lots of antioxidants generally don't because antioxidants cannot survive inside a box.
You also don't want to run out and buy the latest fad supplement because it has a lot of antioxidants. One of the latest is the raspberry ketones for weight loss. Yes, raspberries have a lot of antioxidants and the ketones can accelerate the heart and cause more weight loss. However, without a good supporting diet the problem is still there and the raspberry ketones can cause damage to your heart.
You can get a tremendous amount of antioxidants in a simple meal. I make a three course meal that is simply loaded with them. I start off with a salad of dark leafy greens topped with bell peppers, tomatoes, red onions with some cranberries, almonds and sunflower seeds. I like dressing of olive oil with herbs and spices to top it off. A 4oz piece of salmon, grilled and topped with a pat of herb butter sits next to a small pile of sweet potato fries and grilled asparagus with sautéed mushrooms. And then for dessert, yogurt with blueberries and strawberries mixed in topped with a few shavings of dark chocolate.
That one meal has nearly a full day's worth of antioxidants. Plus it is low-carb, low-fat, low-calorie with tremendous flavor. The perfect meal if you want to avoid things like stroke, arteriosclerosis, Parkinson's and diabetes.
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