What Every Body Needs to Stay Healthy
A September issue of the Mayo Clinic Health letter suggest that show that there is very little effectiveness in obtaining antioxidants from dietary supplements. Instead, the study found that the best way to obtain antioxidants is by eating foods that are rich in antioxidants. These antioxidants include:
vitamins C and E
carotene
lycopene
lutein
There many more compounds that play a role in fighting diseases such as cardiovascular problems, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and macular degeneration. The benefits of antioxidants come from the fact that they are thought to neutralize free radicals, that are a byproduct of the natural cells metabolism.
The human body naturally produces antioxidants but the process isn’t 100 percent effective and that effectiveness declines with age.
Studies are constantly showing that people who eat foods rich in antioxidants receive many health benefits. Foods have a multitude of various high amounts of antioxidants over diet supplements which makes this the ideal way to capture antioxidants.
Supplements are limited because they only offer a few of the many types of antioxidants that are found. This is a problem since Doctors do not know which antioxidants are responsible for the health benefits. Some of the better known antioxidants are:
Berry Family: Acai Berry, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, blueberries
Beans: Small red beans and kidney, pinto and black beans
Fruit Family: Apples, avocados, cherries, pears ( all types)
Vegetables: Artichokes, spinach, red cabbage, red and white potatoes (with peels), sweet potatoes and broccoli
Drinks: green tea, coffee, red wine, acai berry juice
Nuts Family: Walnuts, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts and almonds
Herb family: Ground cloves, cinnamon or ginger, dried oregano leaf and turmeric powder
Grains: Oat-based products
Dessert: Dark chocolate
Two recent studies have suggested that taking higher than recommended doses of antioxidant supplements such as vitamin E over time may actually be harmful and possibly toxic.
This is not true in many of the foods that have higher antioxidants and offer many other health benefits such as high fiber, protein and saturated fats.
There is currently no guideline by the government for which antioxidants to consume as well as how many to take as part of their daily diet–this is also the case for vitamins and minerals. A major reason to this is due to a general consensus amongst researchers.
It is encouraged for the time being to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables that have a high concentration of amino acids that were previously mentioned.