Why Do I Need an Antioxidant?

Antioxidants are a big buzz word in the natural health world. We all know that we need them, but sometimes it's unclear why we do. 

To understand antioxidants, you have to understand first what free-radicals are. Free-radicals are atoms with unpaired electrons. These are created when oxygen splits them. These free-radicals then go around trying to find an unpaired electron which causes more damage. 

What this means is that they are natural byproduct of living. The more movement and energy you expend, the more free-radicals are created. This does not mean that it's best to sit on a couch doing nothing all day long, but you do have to take in to account that the more you are moving, the more you need to make sure you're getting enough antioxidants! Especially since they slow down the aging process! 

The best way I have heard of it being described was with a car engine. Free-radicals would be the exhaust fumes from an engine. You need to have the exhaust fumes, but you also have to get the exhaust fumes out of the engine or else the engine will break. That's where antioxidants come in! Antioxidants help to release the free-radicals from the body. 

The best source of antioxidants always come from foods. Making sure that your'e getting 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables every day is extremely important! Wolfberries (goji berries) have the highest amount of any foods, followed by pomegranates and blueberries. Taking them in juice form is also an excellent way of getting them in. I drink 2oz of wolf berries per day. 

Taking antioxidant supplements can be helpful, but please remember that the body will always use food sources more efficiently than anything found in a pill! 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249911/