Hey Guys!

Ever wonder why we need antioxidants?  Some may already know the purpose of an antioxidant but for those who don’t, in simple terms, antioxidants fight off free radicals.  We are exposed to free radicals daily through air pollution, sunlight exposure, cigarette smoke and even stress because of the way it weakens our immune system.  The paragraph below is from an article I read by Carmela Roush who is a Natural Solutions Vitamin and Herb Consultant.  She does a great job describing what a free radical is and how antioxidants fight to keep the cells in our bodies healthy.

“First it is important to understand how and why free radicals occur in our bodies. Free radicals
actually come from good cells that have oxidation damage to them. Free radicals are all about
atoms, protons, neutrons, and electrons which are a part of each and every cell in our bodies.
When oxidation occurs within a cell an electron will break away and is now looking for a new
home. This little simple electron is kind of like a big bully. It’s a big bully with out a friend so he is
going to do what ever it takes to find one of his own kind. This free electron will beat up on a
healthy cell until it gets in and attaches its self to another electron. This is not good because you
do not want uneven electrons with in a cell. It is this uneven number of electrons that causes the
damaging effects. This is a very simple example to explain that free radicals are atoms or groups
of atoms with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons. Since we are just one big group of cells
walking around this is very important information to understand. If our cells aren’t healthy then
neither are we!
..So let’s say a free radical is beating up on a cell in the liver. This big bully
free radical finally breaks through the cell membrane and gets into the healthy cell and now hooks
up with one of the electrons in that cell. This is when the trouble can begin. The cell now
becomes deformed because of its odd number of electrons. This is how cancer can form or
various health challenges to our bodies.
Here is why antioxidants are so powerful and necessary. Science shows us that antioxidants do
not become free radicals themselves because they are stable with or without the electron they
donate. This simply means they can give away an electron without being damaged its self.
Antioxidants neutralize free radicals by donating an electron to the end the “stealing” reaction.
This is the reaction of that big bully beating up on the cell.”

Now that you understand why we need antioxidants, here are a list of antioxidant rich food you should try to consume daily:

Note: Buy fresh fruits and veggies and whatever is in season.  Also, eat the skin on your apples, kiwis, potatoes and tomatoes because the skin is rich with antioxidants 🙂

-carrots, squash, sweet potato, broccoli, brussell sprouts, green leafy veggies, kale, collards, tomatoes

-cantaloupe, peaches, apples, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, pink grapefruit, watermelon, kiwi, red and purple grapes, pomegranate, cranberries

-fish, shellfish, eggs, chicken and garlic