Are Antioxidant Foods, Good, Bad, Or Unnecessary?

The question many are asking about whether antioxidants are really good for us or is it just more hype from food manufacturers and big Pharma to sell more product is understandable. The answer is complicated, but in real terms, antioxidant food is a necessary part of having a well balanced diet. If your diet consists of a variety of antioxidant recipes along with all the other necessary nutrients then you can expect your body to work at optimum levels.

What do antioxidants do?

Antioxidants are natures way of countering free radicals. These are the compounds that are a by-product of cell actions in the body. When you break down your food, encounter radiation from the sun or other sources, exercise or have unnatural compounds or substances introduced to your body, such as pollutants or other man-made elements.

Antioxidants contain extra electrons that are able to neutralise unstable molecules by forcing on them new electrons enabling them to become balanced and unable to disrupt the body.

Can You Have Too Many Antioxidants?

The human body is an extremely complicated living machine that relies on compounds found in its natural foods to operate properly. It is important to have a variety of food in your diet so that you get a good balance of nutrients. Having too much of any type of food will have the potential to cause an imbalance. Too many antioxidants of one type could cause them to have the opposite effect.

It would be very difficult to have too many antioxidants if you are getting them from natural sources. Man-made antioxidant supplements are chemical and not "organic" and very different from the ones produced by the body or found in food. These chemical antioxidants are not readily acceptable to the body and often do more harm than good if they have any effect at all.

Are antioxidants good for you?

Many studies have shown that having a high Antioxidant Food consisting of its and vegetables has a positive effect on the body. At the same time, many studies have shown that having high levels or in fact, any levels of antioxidant supplements have had no effect or a detrimental effect.

It is yet to be proved whether it is the antioxidant content of foods, another compound that is yet to be discovered that accompanies these foods or just the combined action that all the different chemical compounds in healthy, wholesome foods are the reason that many people respond in a very positive way when they have a diet that is rich in antioxidant food recipes.

The logical conclusion that must be reached after looking at all the evidence is that natural, antioxidant foods and recipes that are high in natural antioxidants are much better for you that having a diet that lacks antioxidants. It is also important to note that taking artificial antioxidants and antioxidant supplements should be avoided as they are useless at best and possibly harmful.

The hype about antioxidants is mainly by food manufacturers using the confusion surrounding antioxidants as a way of selling their produce. The facts seem to suggest that all artificial antioxidants that are added to processed foods and man-made supplement are useless or harmful while natural antioxidants in foods are beneficial.

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