Not All Antioxidants Are Equal
Lets firstly look briefly at what antioxidants are: Antioxidants are molecules that protect our cells from damage and lower the risk of many diseases by neutralising the free radicals that cause the damage to the cells.
So if you are someone who eats a wide variety of antioxidant rich foods, you are someone who has the most cellular and DNA protection! Cool hey!!
Antioxidants not only come from fruits and veggies, but also from beans, nuts, seeds & grains. Even from tea, coffee, grass-fed meat and dairy products.
It makes sense to consume a wide variety of antioxidant rich foods so that you can benefit from the full range of health benefits they provide. We can’t just expect that if we eat a piece of fruit here and there, or once in a while consume some dark leafy greens that its going to be enough.
The alarming fact is, once we get past the age of 20, our body is far more heavily overloaded with free radicals than at a much younger age. When we are young, we have many antioxidant enzymes protecting our system and keeping us healthy, but as we age, the free radicals play havoc on us and our antioxidant production can’t keep up. This is why we age, why we start to feel old and get aches and pains happening in our mid 20’s and older.
By keeping our antioxidants high through eating a wide variety of foods, we are far less susceptible to age related conditions and diseases that show up.
Not all antioxidants are the same in the system, some foods provide more vitamin c for us while other foods provide more vitamin E or manganese and so on etc. So if we think about that and think about eating wide variety of all our foods, we will be in a much better state to ward off conditions.
Certain antioxidants play a greater role in preventing certain diseases. For example: Certain antioxidant rich foods can help keep cancer at bay, other certain antioxidant rich foods are better at combating neurodegenerative conditions. There is an alarming fact that states, there are over 200 diseases and conditions related to an overload of free radicals and that is what they call OXIDATIVE STRESS. Read this article HERE which explains more about oxidative stress and its contributing factor with disease.
On the flip side, there are some free radicals we still need in our body as well, and the reason for that is, certain free radicals can help kill off deadly viruses, or help to heal a cut and create a scab on our skin.
There is also another exciting way at increasing your antioxidant production and that is through your Nrf2 pathway. we all have an Nrf2 pathway and this is the bodies own antioxidant defence system. It’s all about having your body increase its own antioxidant enzymes as opposed to taking them through food in high doses. If you would like to learn more about the Nrf2 pathway, click HERE or HERE
I love adding the antioxidant rich foods in my diet that are very powerful at activating the Nrf2 pathway. Some of those foods include:
- Turmeric
- Green tea
- Kale
- Acai Berries
- Carrots
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Berries
- Red and purple grapes (Think red wine: Winning!!)
Always try to purchase local, organic, RAW and fresh produce when looking at buying your antioxidant rich foods. This will not only give you the best benefit, but they are also far less at risk of being sprayed with nasty chemicals that also cause free radicals in the body.
Check out today’s video which explains all of this even more.
Did you get value from this? I very much enjoy speaking about this topic, especially since I have understood the enormous benefits of activating my Nrf2 pathway. If you’d like to hear more of my own story on this CLICK HERE
Keep being Amazing, Authentic and Inspiring
Janelle Emma xx
