Get Your Antioxidants the Natural Way – Through Your Diet
You may have about the importance of antioxidants in the diet, and their possible role in fighting a variety of illnesses, including some kinds of cancer, age related degeneration and heart disease.
You could also be forgiven for thinking that antioxidant vitamins are things that come in pills, powders and capsules. The marketing of antioxidant vitamin supplements, such as vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E, is intense and relentless. While vitamin supplements can be helpful, however, the majority of antioxidant vitamins should come from food, not from vitamin supplements.
It is important to understand how antioxidant vitamins work to protect the body from harm. Antioxidants work by combining with and neutralizing harmful elements known collectively as free radicals. Free radicals are produced naturally by the body, as a consequence of a number of natural bodily processes. Most of the time, the body is able to neutralize and eliminate these free radicals on its own.
However, stresses such as environmental pollution, a weakened immune system, UV radiation and alcohol consumption can lower the body’s ability to fight these free radicals.
Excessive free radicals in the human body can cause damage to the structure and function of the various organs and systems in the body. Recent studies have implicated free radicals in a number of diseases, including cancer and heart disease. In addition, free radicals are thought to play a significant role in the aging process.
It is estimated that foods contain some 4,000 different compounds that have antioxidant qualities. Since only a small number of these compounds have been identified, and a lesser amount yet have been synthesized, it is easy to see why it is so hard for vitamin supplements to replace a healthy diet. Healthy, antioxidant containing foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, contain a variety of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and other micronutrients in addition to the antioxidants that have been identified by science.
There are many major vitamins that have been found to have strong antioxidant qualities. Perhaps the most well known, and the most studied, of these antioxidant vitamins is vitamin C. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is water soluble and is found in all the tissues and fluids of the body. Since vitamin C is not stored in the body, it is important that everyone’s diet contain plenty of vitamin C.
Good sources of vitamin C in the diet include citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits, green peppers, broccoli, strawberries, cabbage and potatoes. Dark green leafy vegetables are also good sources of vitamin C.
Vitamin E is another popular member of the antioxidant family, and it is thought to play an important role in protecting the body from aging. Vitamin E may not be the cure all wonder that it was once thought to be, but it is still an important protector of the body.
Good sources of dietary vitamin E include nuts, seeds, wheat germ, whole grain breads, vegetable oil, fish oil and dark green leafy vegetables.
Beta carotene is also an important antioxidant vitamin, and it is important to a number of bodily processes. The role of beta carotene in the natural world is to protect the skins of yellow and orange vegetables and fruits from the damaging rays of the sun. It is believed that beta carotene plays the same sort of role in human nutrition. That is, beta carotene is thought to be important in protecting people from the damage caused by environmental pollution, UV rays, etc.
Beta carotene rich foods include yellow and orange vegetables and fruits such as carrots, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, cantaloupes, peaches and apricots. In addition, dark green leafy vegetables such as collard greens and broccoli, and fruits like tomatoes, also contain significant levels of beta carotene.
Selenium is an important mineral thought to share many traits with antioxidants. Selenium in particular has been studied for its ability to prevent and reverse cell damage. Scientists continue to focus on this cell protecting ability as a possible cancer fighter.
Selenium is one good example of why it is important to get the nutrients you need from food, not from vitamin supplements. High levels of selenium can be toxic, so supplementation is not recommended. Foods high in selenium, such as fish, shellfish, red meat, poultry, eggs, garlic and whole grains, however, are recommended. In addition to these sources of selenium, fruits and vegetables that are grown in selenium rich soils are also good sources of this important mineral.
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I have read before that vitamin E in pills can even be harmful. Take care of yourself and dont be lazy to eat some fruits in the evening instead of sweets.
You have some great tips. I don’t eat enough fruits and that can be damaging to my overall health. I am trying to eat more fruits and incorporate that into my diet. I just want to look and feel healthy.
That’s the most important thing our body can do after a good diet!
I heard garlic is a great antioxidant!
It is ‘celluloso’ good in weight loss diet?
I agree with the beginning of the post. Food supplements are food SUPPLEMENTS, not replacers. Many people forget that and end up bad.
Like this post as it is very informative, good work and thanks for sharing!
I have recently starting taking a supplement called acai. I really think it is helping me. I have always taken care to get plenty of anti-oxidant rich foods in my diet. Anything you would recommend about this supplement?
Include fish, shellfish, red meat, poultry, eggs, garlic and whole grains, in your meal.
Brianna,
This is by far the best article on antioxidants that I have ever read. Since I started running (marathons) I have taken a real interest in antioxidants, since I am trying to reverse years of aging. Thank you for keeping me informed.
Great idea of a blog. I do something similar (personal development) and love to talk about it. But have you now stopped
Vitamins need to be taken in moderation just like anything else. They should be a supplement to your diet and should never replace healthy foods such as vegetables fruits, proteins, etc.
Drinking plenty of fresh fruit and/or vegetable juice is one of the easiest and most pleasurable ways to load up on antioxidants.
I agree it is better to get vitamins through natural foods than vitamins…too much of the vitamins can be bad for you and even build up toxicity in your body causing other problems.
I take a multi vitamin every day. I’d like to think that I can get all of it from my diet but even when I eat really healthy I feel like I may be missing some of the important ones.
I often detoxify myself atleast once a week.I drink lemon, honey and warm water (LHWW) and wu long tea and lotsa fruits in weekends to get rid of the shi* inside.Its best if you do this twice or thrice a week.Thanks for sharing your reviews!
I think it is good to get antioxidants naturally through veggies and whatnot as opposed to relying on vitamins like your example with the Selenium. The more you can get naturallly, the better
Pomegranates my favourite fruit and is jam packed with antioxidants. just a pain rying to eat one, good tip is to use a tooth pick!
“Good sources of dietary vitamin E include nuts, seeds, wheat germ, whole grain breads, vegetable oil, fish oil and dark green leafy vegetables.” What a great statement. All of these are essential to a healthy diet. Some great tips here, thanks!
There are two problems in trying to do this. The biggest problem is the fruits and vegetable are highly depleted of the nutrients from the continued planting in the same soil. No crop rotation is being practiced. The second is the amount of chemicals that you ingest is by far worse that the small amount of nutrients you get
Great post. I agree with natural way for dieting. Thanks for sharing this.
i think the best way to get your vitamins is via natural sources whenever possible, although you can get some good supplements. for example, rose hip capsules vs vitamin c capsules. Rose hips are natural and very rich in vitamin c. Natural products also tend to be better absorbed by the body.
The only difficulty as I see it in getting people to eat antioxidant rich foods is the cost associated with purchasing such foods. It seems as though every time a food gets some good press as a powerful antioxidant (eg blueberries) the price in the store subsequently rises. Whether this is just a supply/demand issue, or simply greed and the wish to cash in on the current “flavor of the week” trend, I don’t know. That being said, I completely agree with you. A properly balanced diet should give our bodies all we need without having to resort to supplements
Great article, thank you. Natural is always the best way. I always look forward to your updates.
Yes first fruits then pils IF fruits won’t be enough…
I was for sure you would mention Acai Berry as the best antioxidant know to man. I have begun taking the supplement and very much like the results.
So you are saying don’t take vitamin supplement, eat well is enough?
Very informative post. The only thing that I would add is that eating processed foods or foods with additives is NOT beneficial. Eating natural foods (including vegetables), fruits and whole grains is always your best choice for getting the required nutrients and antioxidants your body needs to maintain or improve your health. If, however, you decide to eat quite a bit of fast food or lots of highly processed foods you should take nutritional supplements that will try to help maintain your health, though eating these processed foods will eventually rob you of your health. Be smart - eat right!
I think that a lot of people do not take nutrition seriously because of the need for a little bit of effort to be done on their part. There are a large proportion of people I think that believe that vitamin supplements are garbage because of this factor and it is easier to make no effort than some.
Good quality food sources are always preferable to supplements. I guess people just get a bit daunted by all the information they feel they need to understand and tend to give up a bit. If you eat well and observe your body closely, the adjustments are easy to make. Thank you for this detailed article on the issue.
I agree with you that most of your antioxidant intake should be through foods, but have you read anything on the acai berry? I’ve been taking acai berry capsules for the last few days under the impression that I’d be getting a decent amount of antioxidants. If I’m wrong, I want to know!
The Wedding diets are just like any other diet with the added pressure of needing to look good for the biggest day of your life!
My favourite anti-oxidants have to be red wine and dark chocolate, in moderation of course!
I’ve never been one for taking vitamin pills, if you eat the correct quantities of foods that contain the vitamins that the body requires then pills are not really necessary… It’s all a case of healthy living and eating..
With all the products out their promoting antioxidants and weight loss. While these products can help it cannot replace having a healthy diet and doing some physical activity. These products can help balance out some of these lower quantities in your diet but should not be used as a cure all since it just wont work.
I agree that it is important to get antioxidants and vitamins from natural sources, but it isn’t realistic for all of us. Just to play it safe I think an organic powdered multi-vitamin is a great way to go. Your thoughts?
have you ever tried acai berries? People said this is the best antioxidant food
Nice post, its important to get all your vitamins and minerals, ideally if you can get these through natural foods then great, but a multi vitamin is a better alternative for those who find it hard to stick a particularly healthy diet.
Taking vitamins and antioxidants from whole food, rather than pills, is always a better solution, as food has lot more to give. I believe it must be healthier to have some oranges, lemons and so on, and gain vit C from there, rather than form pills, as in oranges you’ll also get lot other minerals, sugars…
You have raised a nice topic.I think all vitamins are very important for our body.And we should make a good balance between intake of product containing vitamins.
i believe that eating organic food will make you healthy. eating fruits and vegetables are good for us. these foods will make us healthy. add a proper exercise and enough rest as well.
Pills and not the natural way of getting vitamin for your body. Its much better to take fruits instead of that.
The problem is the vitamin content of fruits today is very low because of the low crop rotation
I would have to agree. There is no point in taking supplements when you can get all the nutrients you need from readily available foods. Be careful not to go overboard as it can result in problems.
Somehow the supplements industry managed to produce the attitude of “if I want to leve healthy, I need to take supplements”. This is totally wrong, and as the article points out, not really helpful. Of course, when eating vegetables and fruits you should avoid getting all the pesticides and sprayed chemicals- buy organic and enjoy!
It seems it would be hard to get 100% of your daily dose of all these vitamins without taking some sort of supplements. I agree though that we should try to get most of them from real food rather than pills.
I know that vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin with strong antioxidant properties that are thought to play a key role in immune function and metabolic processes.
I recommend carrots which protect your eyesight. Be like a bat in the night.
Thanks for the straight forward information. It is so important to try and seek out the most natural ways of getting our vitamins, minerals, etc. If we would all just eat the right foods, we wouldn’t need half of the health products out there!
Well, that’s precisely the point. Not all food supplements or other medications can give you the right amount of antioxidants that your body is actually needing. It is still best to acquire it from a healthy diet. Healthy food means healthy body and younger-looking skin.
Thanks for the post. I’d much rather get proper nutrition through eating healthily than scoffing a load of pills every day.
Good article about antioxidants in the food we eat. Quite informative.
I would agree that getting your antioxidants naturally is great, but combining this with taking the proper vitamin supplements is very helpful too.
The best way is to keep natural. Vitamins or other that produce by human MUST BE contains chemical substance
Undoubtedly a good article. We do become a pray to the aggressive marketing of pharma companies and consume tons of medicines unnecessarily. Hope this article will revert the readers back to the natural resources, as simple as fruits, rather than consuming chemicals.
better have the naturals for everything we eat. Enjoy the fruit and vegetables as fiber. Most of them also taste good, you just have to get accustomed with your mindset. They also help to feel full.
Eating healthy is the key..antioxidants are a must to repair your cells so without repair you will get old sooner, easy ways to get anti oxidants is drinking red wine, or eating beetroot or carrots..they contain beta-carotene which is good for you/
Drinking tea and eating vegetables and fruits are a good healthy natural way of consuming antioxidants. Weight Loss and Building Muscle Mass requires a good healthy immune system in order to remain healthy.
I sure do like my fruits a whole lot more than my veggies.
Katya, I agree with you. The A, D, E, and K vitamins are can’t be flushed easily by our body. So, any excess intake will be stored and become a burden to our system. Make sure that we take those kinds of vitamins with doctor’s prescriptions.
Thank you for info. Very interesting and usefull.
I can definitely attest to the power of getting antioxidents from your diet. I eat a predominately raw food diet, and it is just chock full of antioxidents. Think of all the bright colors and vitamins that things like leafy greens, blueberries, or oranges have.
I don’t take vitamins, because I don’t think our body can really absorb them if they aren’t in proper proportions with “what they came from”.
Thanks for bringing up this important topic. I seriously think it’s something people overlook.
Great post!
These are my top tips, when undertaking an antioxidant diet;
Tip No. 1: Consider whether you’re really hungry before eating!
Tip No. 2: Drink plenty of water or other calorie-free beverages
Tip No. 3: Be choosy about nighttime snacks.
Tip No. 4: Think about what you can add to your diet, not what you should take away.
Nice tips..
How wonderfully we always forget that our every answer lies in the lap of nature.Nature has provided us with so many great fruits n vegetable n minerals to keep ourself fit.when we are blessed with such delicious fruits n vegetable we should take supplements for vitamins from any other source. These minerals n vitamins when present in a fruit are in there natural state apart from providing the necessary vitamins to the body they also a great provider of minerals n roughage to human body which again is very necessary.Antioxidants are more know for controlling the ageing process, we can see there are numerous of health product advertisement which promises to keep one fit n fine n also it will reverse the ageing process.
In my opinion we should always have such vitamins from its true source i.e Fruits n vegetables which also provides minerals and helps in overall development of Body.
Great post.
Too much vitamin e can indeed be harmful due to it being a fat soluable vitamin.
With is being fat soluable it is harder to eliminate from the body when compared to vitamin c for example which merely causes increased expulsion through urination.
Lycopene found in tomatoes is a very useful compound, and can help reduce the risk of developing various cancers.
It’s also wise to include B vitamins in your diet.
I really appreciated this tips. Yes it is proven and tested to maintain our wellness.
I like to drink some tea throughout the day. They have a lot of antioxidants in them. Green tea is shown to help assist in weight loss. It may not be the best way to lose weight, but every little bit helps.
Acai berry is one of the fruits I know that are rich in anti oxidants other than grapes and other berries available. I have personally tried it and it really works well for me.
some very sage advice there!
I love this post. It is so true that there are soooo many benefits that can come naturally through our diets. Supplements and other extra add-ons are not always necessary. let’s all try and take advantage of superfoods and organic healthy food choices. If we can all do that, it is a big step in the right direction
Everything should be in moderation… a moderate amount of vitamin is good for your health, but too much vitamin could harm your health. This is the same with fat and protein, moderate fat would keep you warm from cold but too many makes you fat. enough protein can be useful for making muscle but too many protein could lead liver and kidney failure, deficiency of vitamin, osteoporosis and also cancer.
Taking vitamin from a fruit and not from supplement should help you keeping your vitamin level in moderation.
Most people want it easy…do whatever you want and take a pill to fix it…and the drug companies are happy to oblige. The other, safer, more natural way is to live a life of moderation and eat balanced meals of the RIGHT foods.
I can definitley say that the best way to cure an illness or disease is through proper dieting and exercise. Pills and vitamins are subsidiaries of whats original.
I agree 100% that vitamins should be sought from REAL FOOD rather than supplements. It’s crazy to rely solely on vitamin supplements for your anti-oxidants. I believe blueberries are about the best all-round source of anti-oxidant you can get.
i think people nowadays become t reliant on multivitamins and perhaps don’t eat the right fruit and veg, because they think they’re getting they vitamins from those magic pills. However, nothing can substitute good organic natural food for sustaining a healthy body.
an informative post, thank you
Yes eating fruits should be enjoyed by one and not replaced by vitamins. Thanks for the article!
Hi,
I agree with you we have to educate that vitamins does need to be only tablet. Many educated persons are believing in tablets instead of food. Carefully, plan your food intake to include all vitamins.
Regards,
Ron
stress relief vitamins
antioxidants are always important to the body as they are the ones who push out all the toxins from the inside. However, the healthiest way to acquire them is the natural way. i agree with Katya; fruits and vegetables are always the good sources of antioxidants.
you are not required to take them as your meal though. If you can have a fruit right every after you finish eating, that would be helpful in any way.
How does organic food help? Would it have the same contents or natural fruits?
Vitamins sometimes are hard to retain in the body. Drinks are alot better. I’m not a doctor but my wife is:)
A Multivitamin is also a great way to get some nutrients in your diet. Adding a multivitamin to your diet will greatly improve your health. Great Post, very insightful, Thanks! I am also going to be adding this post to my Health Site CenterHealth
Nice articles … thanks for sharing
I just discovered a drink called Monavie, and it has incredible antioxident power. The makers say that one two-ounce serving has as much of the positive compounds that are present in 100 glasses of red wine. I prefer juices over vitamins.
Although in some places they are hard to get and expensive, Acai Berries are a great source of antioxidants. Also the Mangosteen fruit known as the Queen of fruits has an incredible amout of antioxidants plus they taste incredible.
I know free radicals are a harmful factor in your body but I believe you body detoxifies itself regardless or what vitamin intake you have. You see drug addicts and alcoholics takings all sorts of harmful materials and they still survive!
Just a thought though, great post
Finally, someone that I can agree with on antioxidants. Recently, the movement for all the Acai pills and supplements has been killing me. You don’t need to pay for these over priced products. You can get the antioxidants your body needs the old fashion way. Just eat fruit and stay healthy! Great post.
I agree that getting your nutrients naturally is the best way to stay healthy. It’s what we were created for, no?
Hi, just want to say that you're articles are very very informative. Haven't found a decent one in week till I stumbled upon you're website. I will definitely include you in my daily tube sites list starting now.
basically what you are saying is eating a balanced diet containing fresh vegetables and fruit will give you all the goodness you need. Hence no need for the pills.
Katya, you’re right Vitamin E is linked (but not proven) to possibly harm in high doses, however low doses are beneficial to the body. Great read Brianna, many thanks for sharing! I hope all your articles are as useful, I’m about to delve into the archive to see!
What a great article on how to eat right and stay healthy the natural way, the only possible recommended unnatural way is to improve your skin (cellulite, acne scars, etc) through laser skin rejuvenation Toronto cosmetic clinic.
reading this article is very useful for me. btw, thanks for this useful information. i am waiting for your next post
I also was writing articles about health
This article is going to save me £24.00 GBP every month. I have been useing a so called powerful antioxident (pill) for about 3 years now, I have never really felt any benefit but I guess the benifits kick in in the long term. I have implemented some of your sugestions on which foods contain certain elements and compounds that have strong antioxident elements, and after about five weeks of eating the foods you mention I already feel great.
Nothing beats a beats a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Very informative post, thanks for sharing!
I have read Cayenne Pepper, Curry and Chili Powders can help to up our metabolism. Metabolism is key to our diet
Not to mention you save money from buying artificial supplements. Great post.
Hi!
I add you article to my site http://www.weightloss24h.com !
I completely agree that most antioxidants should come from your food. However, most people are not getting anywhere enough fruits and vegetables in their diet, which is where a good multivitamin can help. But I see your point!
..obviously we can get antioxidants in fruits indeed. so this is a great post. there are so many ways you can do in losing weight.. but i think eating enough fruits is the best.
Not only does fruits provides you with antioxidants, it also helps in food digestion and easy excretion. I guess, everything has it’s own way in showing how the other affects another because what you eat, your body reacts to it. I try to live a healthy lifestyle by eating the right kind of foods. That reason alone makes me feel a lot better.
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That’s a very interesting post.I have gone through the details. I really appreciate it.Thanks for sharing.
I feel so much healthier since I switched to freshly squeezed orange juice, grapefruit etc., also I live in CA and took advantage of the weather and planted a garden, the carrots are the best. If you have the dirt, plant it! you will save money and get more vitamins from your own garden.
Nice post! Though I knew some of those, it is still nice that you have something new about this topic. You can add garlic, I heard it is a good antioxidant too.
Will also save a lot of money too. Good article