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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

Antioxidant what is it?

Very simply put, an antioxidant is something that prevents or slows down oxidization. This can be very beneficial to the health, for instance the cholesterol in our bodies is not necessarily harmful until it becomes oxidized, which then causes it to start clinging to our blood vessels which as you know can then lead to some serious health related heart problems.

Antioxidants can help to prevent this and thus make a very positive contribution to your overall general state of health and physical well being. They can also provide other benefits to your skin and hair. So asking and then answering what is an antioxidant is one of the key levels to acquire an understanding why eating food and drinking beverages which have antioxidant properties can make a positive contribution to your fitness levels and health.

The human body and Antioxidants

Fortunately for us the human body is naturally equipped with defenses that work to prevent the harmful effects of these free radical compounds. Antioxidants are chemical substances that are naturally present in vegetables as well as fruit. These antioxidants hunt down free radicals and act on them. This causes the free radicals to get neutralized and stops their rampage and the damage they do to the bodyýs healthy cells, thus preventing or decreasing the incidence of disease.

Antioxidants combat free radicals

Antioxidants are powerful substances that are capable of diminishing the free radicals before they damage your cells.

This forms the base for the recent hype in the publicity of antioxidants. Antioxidants have been discussed vigorously in the media and health professionals are advising their patients to include in their diet, foods that are rich in antioxidants.

Antoxidants and aging

The first thing to realize about the aging process and about antioxidant antiaging solutions is that scientists don't know that much about the aging process as a whole. Antioxidants have a lot to do with how your body digests and processes food and then converts it into energy. The role of antioxidants in the aging process is still in its research infancy.

CONCLUSION

The key to getting all of the antioxidants you need without taking antioxidant multivitamin capsules is to be conscious of the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of the food you are taking. ORAC determines the antioxidant potential of a certain food. The higher its ORAC, the better it is for your body.

Foods that have high ORAC include prunes, beets, berries, bell peppers, raisins, oranges, yellow corn, grapes, cherries, eggplants, spinach, onions, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli, among others. Find a way to incorporate these foods into your diet and you should get enough antioxidants even without supplementation.