Antioxidants: The Secret Ingrediant to Staying Younger Longer

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No one wants to grow old. Since aging isn’t preventable people at least want to age slowly and gracefully. Some people decide plastic surgery is the answer and purchase a youthful look outright while others opt for natural ways to maintain a healthy appearance.

One way to slow down the aging process is found in the types of foods you choose to eat. Some foods are downright bad for you, they increase your weight and therefore take a bite out of your life expectancy. While other foods contain miracle-like ingredients that help fight damage done to your body at the cellular level.

What are these ingredients?

These hidden “miracle” ingrediants are called antioxidants. Antioxidants have graced the pages of magazines, medical journals and every product from hand cream to supplement pills. But what are antioxidants and what can they do to keep you looking your best?

"An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent.

Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals, which start chain reactions that damage cells. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions by being oxidized themselves." >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidant

Antioxidants are substances that fight the aging process that goes on in your body. They are not produced by the body so to get the benefit of these power-packed substances you must ingest them. A variety of foods contain antioxidants.

Let’s go back to the beginning. The body continually replenishes its cells through a process called cellular metabolism. One negative by-product of cellular metabolism is unstable molecules called free radicals.

What are Free Radicals?

Free radicals are molecules that damage your body. They are unstable because they are missing an electron. To get another one and become stable, free radicals will steal electrons from nearby cells. That theft damages the cells in a variety of ways.

The results are visible and invisible changes to our bodies. The development of diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis and neurological deficiencies may begin to affect you as you age. Over time, thinner skin, wrinkles and brittle bones become a problem. Free radicals enter your body from outside sources as well: cigarette smoke, radiation and the sun’s UV rays. The more free radicals we encounter, the greater the damage that can be done.

Antioxidant vs. Free Radicals

Antioxidants have been shown to be of great help in the free radical problem. Antioxidant substances combine with free radicals and neutralize them. Once they are neutralized, they can no longer do any damage.

Scientists haven’t come to a consensus on a recommended daily dose of antioxidants to correct free radical damage and the diseases that come with age, but they do know that eating foods rich in antioxidants makes a huge difference in how we live.

Where do you find antioxidants?

Antioxidants are all around us. Look no further than your local farmer’s market or produce aisle in the grocery store. Fruits and vegetables are antioxidant rich foods and contain the principle sources of antioxidants.

Examples of antioxidants include:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Lutein
• Lycopene
• Beta-carotene

Certain minerals like zinc and selenium also function in the body. They are not antioxidants but they boost the immune system to fight against free radical damage.

What are some antioxidant rich foods?

• Nuts
• Legumes
• Cold water fish
• Seafood
• Red meat

So, eating a varied diet of fruits, vegetables and the foods just named will increase the amount of antioxidants in your system and help reduce the incidence of disease. Eating fruits and vegetables in their natural form instead of juices brings the benefit of other nutrients found in the foods. Juices also contain a lot of sugar that is not needed by your body.

Food does more than stave off hunger. Natural substances found in them can cause us to live longer and stay free of disease as we age.

To Your Good Health,

Mark Hanson

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