Antioxidants: What and Where

You may have heard recent health and nutrition articles and programs talking about antioxidants. So what exactly are they? Why is everyone talking about them? What can they do to help me, in my diet and can they be used as part of my fitness training? Well, these nutrients have been around for a very long time. It is just recently that they have become popular and have been receiving a lot of press.

In this article I will explain what they are, what they can do for your overall health, where can you find these nutrients and how they can boost your health. Antioxidants can be found in many different foods and drinks. Mostly, the vitamins A, E and C are responsible for supplying these nutrients. Specifically, pomegranates, blueberries, cherries, kale and other leafy greens, green tea and even dark chocolate contain good amounts of antioxidants.

A lot of fruit juices and green tea powder mixes claim to be rich and full of these powerful vitamins, but they are best received from the natural source… eat more of these health boosters and you will have a wide variety of benefits. What are the benefits? There are many. Antioxidants help your body rid its cells of free radicals. These free radicals cause many sicknesses and other disturbances of the body.

Free radicals can lead to wrinkles in the skin, loss of lamination of the skin, colds, flues and even cancer can be traced to them. Pumping up your diet with vitamins A, C and E will make you feel better and look better. There are some studies that even suggest that the vitamins in green tea are so powerful that three cups of green tea a day can lessen your risk of cancer by 50%. It’s not difficult to add these nutrients into your diet. For breakfast, simply add some fruit to your cereal and substitute coffee for a nice hot cup of green tea.

As a snack, whip up a delicious smoothie with real fruit juices, and yogurt. You can even hide a few pieces of kale in a smoothie and you wouldn’t even know it’s in there; it doesn’t effect the taste of the treat! For lunch, throw some romaine lettuce on your sandwich and substitute fries for a fruit cup. And lastly, just add any leafy green salad to the beginning or end of your meal. Eat up and stay healthy!