Best Antioxidant Foods

Antioxidants foods are essential to our bodies because of the following reasons:

When our body cells use oxygen the body naturally produces by products called free radicals. According to scientists these free radicals are the culprits that contribute to the cause of health problems such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, macular degeneration the aging process and other ailments.

Antioxidants are like scavengers that counteract these free radicals by cleaning them up from our system and preventing them from causing damage to our bodies. Antioxidants also enhance our immune system thus reducing our risk of diseases.

Incorporating the best antioxidant foods into our diet is a great strategy to use to combat the effects of these free radicals. Good sources of antioxidants are carotenoid, vitamins C, A, E and selenium. These nutrients are found in bright colored fruits and vegetables, citrus fruits, nuts and whole grains, meats and fish products and some herbs.

Add these foods to your diet and reap the benefits of their antioxidant content.

Vegetables
Carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes, collard greens, spinach, Brussels sprouts and kale. These bright colorful vegetables are rich in vitamin A and carotenoids and lycopene which are powerful antioxidants.

Fruits
Cantaloupes, apricots, water melon, pink grapefruits, strawberries, cranberries, papaya and concord grapes are the fruits we need to add to our diets from which we will get more vitamins A, C, and lycopene.

Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are great sources of vitamin E which is an effective antioxidant that studies have documented to be effective in preventing heart diseases and strokes.
Adding peanuts, almonds, cashews, hazels nuts and sunflower seeds will provide prevention against the hazards of free radicals. Caution should be taken when adding any nut to your diet since nuts can cause an allergic reaction. Peanuts are known to cause allergic reaction in some people.

Vegetable Oils
Vegetable oils are rich in vitamin E which also improves circulation, reduces blood pressure and as an antioxidant it prevents cell damage by inhibiting the oxidation of fats and the formation of free radicals.

Selenium
Selenium is an important antioxidant especially when combined with Vitamin E. One study showed that those men who took 200 micrograms of selenium daily over a ten-year period had half the risk of developing lung, prostate and/or colorectal cancer as compared to men who did receive selenium during the study. To get your supply of selenium add to your diet, eggs, red meats, chicken, fish especially salmon, tuna and shell fish. There are many herbs that contain selenium such as, chamomile, garlic, lemon grass, parsley and peppermint.

Other Antioxidants Other good sources of antioxidants are soy, red wines, pomegranate, flax seed and tea.

Add these best antioxidants food to your diet to prevent and protect yourselves from the effects of the by product of the natural use of oxygen called free radicals.