Top 5 Myths about Antioxidant food

Antioxidants are compounds that most people know nothing about and just do not understand what they do how or why. Food manufacturers are quick to tell us their products are full of antioxidants and many people buy them believing they are consuming something that is good for them. Antioxidant research shows that the reality is not so simple.

All Free Radicals are Bad

Antioxidants destroy those nasty free radicals so we become healthy you’re told, but this is only part of the story. So what is the story?

We need a balance in our bodies; antioxidants fight free radicals or unstable elements in our bodies. These free radicals are a by-product of oxidation a basic metabolic process.

Free radicals are essential to life; it only is when our bodies have too many that they become a problem, when the balance is destroyed, an example is that our immune system uses different types of free radicals to fight disease and mutant cells.

All Antioxidants are Equal

Every plant produces antioxidants to help them fight off predators and disease that are their main role in nature. Our bodies have developed to use this ability to its advantage, but each antioxidant reacts and is used in a different way.

All the different and there are over 8,000 different types of known antioxidants are not interchangeable in much the same way as vitamin C is different to vitamin A or D and they are not interchangeable we need them all.

All molecules that can protect our cells are called antioxidants. In the same way that there are different antioxidants the are also different free radicals and each antioxidant is used by our bodies to counter a specific free radical.

Antioxidants come from Fruits and Vegetables

All plants contain antioxidants, but so do animals that eat them so we get antioxidants for all our food sources

Antioxidant-Fortified Foods are Healthier

Antioxidants are molecules or chemical compounds that are found in nature. Our bodies rely on having a large variety of them on a regular basis. Processed foods will only have one or two antioxidants of a chemical nature rather than from natural sources so are of almost no benefit at all and could be detrimental to our systems so should be avoided.

It is far better to get your antioxidants from a good selection of fresh natural fruit and vegetables

If I exercise I should take Antioxidant Supplements

When you exercise you there is more oxidation happening in your body and so there are many more free radicals present. Our bodies are very finely tuned by nature and if you have a good diet with natural foods, then you will benefit from having a reasonable amount of free radicals in your system. Taking a large number of antioxidants in the form of supplements could be detrimental to our systems and lessen the benefits we could have gained by doing the exercise.

There are many myths about antioxidants and free radicals, food manufacturing companies exploit this lack of common knowledge and try and sell their products as being high in antioxidants or healthy These types of antioxidants are of very little value and we should get them for fresh fruits and vegetables

According to research, antioxidant may help to manage lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease.