Get the Full Benefit of Antioxidant Supplements in Your Diet

When it comes to health and dietary information, there are often conflicting and confusing messages out there. In the 90’s, soy products were all the rage, new research is suggesting that soy products are not as beneficial as we once thought. However you can be sure that when it comes to the benefit of antioxidant rich foods in your diet, the evidence is clear, antioxidants are good for you.


Antioxidants Combat Free Radicals

You’ve probably heard about free radicals and how they are bad for you, but just how bad are they? Very bad in fact, an excessive amount of free radicals in your system can lead to cancer and heart disease. You may wonder why such a big deal is being made about free radicals, your grandparents never worried about them and they lived into old age.

Although the body does produce free radicals from time to time to combat viruses and bacteria, we are talking about an excessive amount. Our environment is becoming more and more polluted which contributes to an accumulation of free radicals in our bodies. Cigarette smoke, radiation and herbicides also cause free radicals to build up in our body.

The good news is that there is a way to combat free radicals; quite simply, the benefit of antioxidant rich foods is that they help to stabilize free radicals. As free radicals can cause cell and tissue damage, antioxidants are there to prevent this. Studies have proven that people who have a diet rich with antioxidants have a significantly lower risk of cancer and heart disease than those who do not include antioxidants in their diets.


Where You Can Get Your Dose

Antioxidants are not vitamins; rather vitamins contain antioxidants, so you may already be taking antioxidant supplements if you regularly supplement your diet with vitamins C and E. There are many dietary supplements available that contain antioxidants so that you can get the full benefit of antioxidant properties even on the go.

Still, the best way to get the benefit of antioxidant supplements is to include food rich in antioxidants in your diet. Foods that contain vitamin C and E like citrus fruits and fish are a good place to start. Look for fruit and vegetables that have darker and richer colors like red grapes, carrots and so on to get your does of antioxidants. Now don’t you wish you’d listened to your mom and eaten those vegetables?