The weight
loss world has its own lingo and one of the phrases you’ll hear over and over
again is ‘antioxidants’. So, what are antioxidants and why are they so
important?
The Science Behind Antioxidants
Antioxidants
are plant chemicals, vitamins and other nutrients that help clean up something
called a free radical. In chemistry lingo, a free radical means a molecule in
your body is missing an electron. This is not a balanced state, so the molecule
searches out other molecules to grab that missing electron and when it does, it
creates another free radical – another molecule missing an electron. So what
does this mean? When you have molecules stealing electrons from other
molecules, it leads to conditions like clogged arteries, accelerated aging, and
damaged tissues – in other words, oxidation of your body’s systems.
Why do free
radicals occur? Actually, free radicals happen inside of you with natural body
functions, like when your immune system fights off a cold virus. That process
of killing the virus creates free radicals. Normally, a healthy body has no
problem cleaning up the free radical mess and taking care that other molecues
are balanced. However, when you consistently eat a poor diet, don’t get enough
sleep or exercise, experience continual stress or come into contact with
contaminants like pesticides and other toxic chemicals, the free radicals
overwhelm your body’s ability to contain them and that’s when the damage starts
occurring.
Enter
antioxidants. These little powerhouses have the ability to scavenge for and
destroy free radicals, breaking the chain reaction of instability and reducing
inflammation and damage to your body.
Where To Get Antioxidants (Naturally)
While you
can supply certain antioxidants with vitamin supplements, they only can do so
much. Antioxidants work in conjunction with other bioactive elements like amino
acids to do their job, so obtaining as many antioxidants from fresh, natural
food is your best bet to controlling the free radical race inside of you.
What kinds
of foods have antioxidants? The best ones come from fruits and vegetables – and
the more colorful, the better for you it is. Antioxidants can be found in the
pigment (the color) of those foods. Strawberries, oranges, lemons, broccoli,
blueberries, eggplant, and blackberries are just some of the foods that are
great sources of antioxidants. Aim to eat five servings of fresh fruits and
vegetables each day to give your body and your weight goal a fighting chance!