The Health Benefits of Antioxidants
The importance of getting enough antioxidants in your diet cannot be overstated. These substances are crucial to your overall health and wellness. In fact, the vast number of benefits of antioxidants has been one of the most researched and proven health topics over the years.
Why are antioxidants so important, and what can you do to ensure proper intake of these nutrients? Read on for everything that you need to know.
What Are Antioxidants?
The immense power of antioxidants can't be overestimated. These substances guard your body's cells against potentially dangerous free radicals. While not all free radicals are inherently bad, too many of them can trigger a number of adverse health conditions, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and more.
Antioxidants encompass a wide range of nutrients. A few that fall under this umbrella include vitamins C, E and A. Other common antioxidants include selenium, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin and astaxanthin. The best diets are those that take in a wide variety of antioxidants in abundance.
Understanding the Health Benefits of Antioxidants
The list of health benefits offered by antioxidants is long. Below are a few of the most compelling benefits of antioxidants. This list that will convince you to make antioxidant intake the cornerstone of your health and wellness plan.
Reduce Inflammation
Although inflammation in the body can serve a helpful purpose, too much inflammation, or long-term, chronic inflammation, can trigger pain, headaches and other types of damage. The proper intake of antioxidants can mitigate excess inflammatory response in the body, keeping this balance in check.
Lower Oxidative Stress
Oxidative stress is often the impetus behind the onset of serious diseases such as diabetes, cancer, strokes and cardiovascular issues. Taking in enough antioxidants have been shown to prevent oxidative stress in many forms, helping to fend off a number of serious health conditions. This is why getting enough antioxidants has been linked to a reduction in disease across a wide spectrum of potential issues.
Support Eye Health
Emerging research is demonstrating that sufficient amounts of beta-carotene and vitamin E are instrumental in supporting eye health, helping to reduce the incidence of age-related macular degeneration as well as cataracts.
Boost Mental Health
Medical researchers have long known that oxidative stress is often connected to the presence of anxiety and depression. As such, it makes sense that eating a diet high in antioxidants can also provide a boost to your mental and emotional health.
Improve Brain Function
Antioxidants have also been shown to delay the onset of a number of cognitive decline issues that many people experience as they age. This includes basic memory loss and more serious forms of decline such as Alzheimer's disease. Like many other health concerns, these cognitive issues are related to oxidative stress.
Improve Your Complexion
Do you want your skin to look its best? Be sure to eat plenty of antioxidants. These nutrients have been shown to reduce puffiness, redness and signs of premature aging on the skin. By mitigating free radical damage, antioxidants also guard the skin and help to promote a healthier complexion. For instance, topical vitamin C has been proven to boost collagen production and prevent skin discoloration.
Maintain a Healthy Gut Microbiome
A healthy gut microbiome is essential to a variety of bodily functions, ranging from your digestive processes to mental health. Antioxidants work to lower the amount of intestinal oxidative stress levels, providing the support the gut microbiome needs to perform its many functions.
How to Boost Your Intake of Antioxidants
Unlike some of the more obscure nutrients, antioxidants are available in plentiful supplies in many foods. Eating a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables is a good start. Aim to create a colorful plate with each meal in order to ensure that you are taking in a wide array of antioxidants.
In addition to colorful fruits and vegetables, you will find smaller amounts of antioxidants in foods such as herbs, teas, poultry, fish and nuts. If you are looking for specific foods that are exceptionally high in antioxidants, consider eating plentiful amounts of grapes, apples, spinach, blueberries, beets, pomegranate, salmon and dark chocolate. It's helpful to know that you will not find significant amounts of naturally occurring antioxidants in processed foods.
Savvy health enthusiasts also understand the importance of making a targeted supplement a part of the daily health and wellness routine. A specifically formulated supplement such as Resverchron delivers a unique mix of antioxidants that work together to guard against free radical damage and harmful inflammation in the body. With a high-quality supplement like Resverchron, it could not be any easier to ensure that your body is getting in the antioxidants that it needs for optimal health.
One of the most important things that you can do for your health is to supply it with a steady stream of antioxidants. Luckily, this task is made easy with the right diet and supplement routine.