Importance Of An Antioxidant-Rich Diet

Antioxidants are your protectors that prevent your body from cell damage caused by free radicals. These unstable molecules develop when atoms in your body gain or lose charged particles. 

While free radicals aren’t entirely harmful, they must remain under control. Too many free radicals in your body can damage cells and cause cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. 

This is where antioxidants come in. They help prevent the adverse effects of free radicals in your body. Combining an antioxidant rich diet with easy movements like that on a home treadmill will definitely lead to improvement in your overall health. 

Benefits of an antioxidant-rich diet

1. Aid brain function

Your brain uses a significant amount of oxygen for daily functioning through high metabolic activity. This makes the brain more prone to the presence of free radicals. Antioxidants help promote brain health and delay conditions like memory loss and cognitive decline. 

2. Prevent diseases

Antioxidants prevent disease by reducing oxidative stress. This helps support normal cellular function. As a result, antioxidants reduce the chances of developing conditions like cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis, metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. 

3. Improve eye health

An antioxidant-rich diet can help reduce the impact of eye conditions like age-related macular degeneration and cataract. Beta-carotene and vitamin E are two antioxidants that help slow down the progression of these conditions.

4. Improve mental health

While brain health and mental health may seem similar, they are different. Antioxidants help boost your overall mental and brain health by reducing oxidative stress. This results in preventing anxiety and depression. Consuming a healthy diet rich in antioxidants can help promote mental health and prevent mental disorders. 

Working out regularly has also shown to have a massive positive impact on mental health. And you can easily do this from the comfort of your home by using an elliptical rowing machine.

5. Reduce inflammation

Inflammation is when your body’s white blood cells protect you against outside infections. This can result in many painful symptoms like headache, muscle pain, joint pain, swelling, and much more. Antioxidants protect the cells from damage and prevent these unwanted inflammatory processes. 

6. Support healthy aging

Antioxidants are known to slow down the process of aging by promoting healthy aging. In addition, since they improve your mental and physical health, your body is protected from most diseases, thereby providing you with a healthy life for a longer time. 

You can also tackle aging by making sure you are working out regularly and improving your cardiovascular health. A great example for such a workout is that on a low-ceiling elliptical. 

7. Improve gut microbiome

Your gut health impacts your overall body health. Having a healthy gut ensures having healthy bacteria that keep everything in check. Antioxidants reduce oxidative stress in the intestines by improving the presence of healthy bacteria. This provides a strong and healthy foundation for your gut. 

8. Keep skin healthy

Healthy skin is achieved by fighting free radical damage, which antioxidants are best at. By preventing inflammatory changes, antioxidants reduce redness, puffiness, and premature aging of the skin and protect you against the sun’s ultraviolet rays. In addition, vitamin C helps prevent skin discoloration and aids in collagen production. 

Types of antioxidants

Out of the hundreds of antioxidants available and each having its own role, here is a list of available antioxidants outside the body.

1. Vitamin A
2. Vitamin C
3. Vitamin E
4. Lycopene
5. Lutein
6. Selenium
7. Manganese
8. Zeaxanthin

So how can you get these essential nutrients in your body? 

Food sources for antioxidants

1. Vitamin A 

• Carrots
• Egg yolk
• Liver
• Milk
• Sweet potatoes
• Squash
• Pumpkin
• Apricots

2. Vitamin C 

• Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, grapefruit
• Berries
• Bell peppers
• Papaya
• Tomatoes
• Sweet potato
• Cantaloupe
• Broccoli
• Kiwi
• Kale

3. Vitamin E

• Nuts
• Seeds
• Sunflower oil
• Leafy greens

4. Lycopene

• Fruits and vegetables with a red, pink, or red-orange coloured flesh
• Watermelon
• Papaya
• Tomatoes
• Pink grapefruit

5. Lutein

• Kale
• Spinach
• Collard greens
• Papaya
• Oranges

6. Selenium

• Brown rice
• Corn
• Wheat
• Nuts
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Legumes
• Fish 
• Beef
• Poultry
• Barley

7. Manganese

• Whole grains
• Clams
• Oysters
• Nuts
• Soybean
• Legume
• Rice
• Leafy greens
• Black pepper

8. Zeaxanthin

• Green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, lettuce
• Peas
• Broccoli
• Egg yolk
• Goji berries
• Carrots
• Pumpkin

Tips to increase your intake of antioxidants

1. Include a fruit or a vegetable for every meal that you eat.
2. Drink a cup of green tea daily.
3. Eat a colorful plate of food. Ensure you have a plate full of rich, vibrant, colorful foods. 
4. Include spices like turmeric, cumin, ginger, clove, cinnamon, and oregano to increase the antioxidant content of your meals. 
5. Snack on nuts like almonds and Brazil nuts and seeds like sunflower and pumpkin seeds. 

Author Info: By healthyandkhush.com

Summary:

Healthy and Khush is a blog dedicated to sharing science-based tips and hacks that will help you lose weight and keep it off.