By Christie Sauer, Graduate Student in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology
Teachers College, Columbia University
Among the numerous health trends dominating the market today, products rich in antioxidants rank fairly high. Should we be grabbing these packages off shelves and consuming them? Just what are antioxidants, anyway?
To understand how antioxidants function, we must first recognize what’s taking place in our bodies on a daily basis. Metabolism is a series of life sustaining reactions that work to keep us functioning. We produce free radicals as a consequence of normal metabolism, and we routinely neutralize them to prevent harm to our bodies. Antioxidants are important because they help with this process.
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Antioxidants are a variety of molecules found naturally within the body as well as in whole foods that work to neutralize free radicals. Examples of antioxidants found in foods include vitamins A, C, and E in addition to phytosterols and resveratrol. It is best to consume your antioxidants from food, as evidence suggests that these sources are superior to supplements.
For example, vitamin A is found in sweet potato, carrots, kale, apricots, salmon, and liver. Broccoli, pineapple, strawberries, and oranges are rich in vitamin C. Furthermore, vitamin E is found in spinach, mango, avocado, swordfish, and sunflower seeds. All three vitamins may also be found in fortified breakfast cereals and grains. Fortified simply means that vitamins have been added to foods they are not naturally found in. In order to get phytosterols, try eating wheat germ, canola oil, peanuts, and rye bread. Lastly, resveratrol is a compound often found in red grapes, peanuts, and red wine.
As you can see, there are a large variety of sources from which you can consume antioxidants to help those already found in the body. We now know that we benefit from a certain degree of free radicalization and studies have shown that overconsumption of antioxidants can be problematic. It is best to meet your antioxidant needs through a healthy diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. This in addition to our body’s natural defense make us more than capable of fighting off free radicals.