Very simply put, an antioxidant is something that prevents or slows down oxidization. This can be very beneficial to the health, for instance the cholesterol in our bodies is not necessarily harmful until it becomes oxidized, which then causes it to start clinging to our blood vessels which as you know can then lead to some serious health related heart problems. Antioxidants can help to prevent this and thus make a very positive contribution to your overall general state of health and physical well being. They can also provide other benefits to your skin and hair. So asking and then answering what is an antioxidant is one of the key levels to acquire an understanding why eating food and drinking beverages which have antioxidant properties can make a positive contribution to your fitness levels and health.
Of course, if you’re really wondering what is an antioxidant this should hopefully inspire you to find more out about how antioxidants can help you live a healthier and fuller life. But unless you actually take action to improve your diet and therefore increase your intake level of antioxidants, then just possessing the knowledge itself will not provide you with any tangible or real health benefits. Adding additional helpings of fresh fruit and vegetables can be very helpful to you because they naturally contain high levels of antioxidants.
A simple and straight forward answer to the question, how to benefit from antioxidants is by eating fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as fresh meat and seafood. There are also many supplements available in your local health shop, in supermarkets and online.
Antioxidants are present in vitamins or enzymes in your food, and the best sources are found in dark colored fruits like berries and red grapes amongst many others. You can take them fresh from hand to mouth or as juices. If you enjoy fruit juice, and I would guess you do, you can also blend different fruits. (One of my favorites is a freshly made blend of raspberries and orange juice which is quite delicious).
There are different types of antioxidants with different benefits and one or more are present in each type of fruit. The same thing goes for free radicals - which are the molecules that can damage cells and are precisely the antioxidant targets.
The thing is that free radicals appear in our bodies either from the environment (excess sunlight, smoking, pollution, even excess exercises) or are actually made within our bodies. Therefore it is not a one time affair but a continuous and natural state of affairs.
This means we have to ingest antioxidants all our lives. This is normal and this is how we have evolved and so perfectly natural.
In short it is absolutely natural and for thousands of years we have been getting the antioxidants our bodies need through our eating habits without knowing (and quite frankly without caring) about antioxidants.
