Understanding the ways antioxidants work can help you appreciate the importance of a varied diet rich in antioxidants. For instance, by simply including a few servings of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet, you are already doing a lot to improve your well-being and increase your resistance to disease.
You might also be surprised to know that in antioxidant terms, coffee, which technically originates as a fruit, is ranked high on the list of antioxidant sources. A simple habit like drinking coffee can boost your antioxidant levels to help prevent a host of ailments such as heart disease, some forms of cancer, cataracts, and a weak immune system.
As the word suggests, antioxidants counter the process of oxidation. In practical terms, just think of oxidation as the same process responsible for causing peeled apples to brown and iron to rust when exposed to oxygen in the air.
That same destructive process is happening in each and every one of us on a daily basis because we breathe oxygen in order to live. Oxidation can also occur when we expose ourselves to alcoholic beverages, smoking, environmental pollutants, radiation (including sunlight), synthetic materials (including asbestos, plastics, satin, and polyester), stress, bacteria, and parasites, among other things.
Oxidation is simply an unavoidable fact of life. However, the real danger lies in what oxidation can produce: free radicals.
Humans have evolved natural antioxidant defense systems that counter free radicals; unfortunately, because of the presence of so many oxidizing agents in the modern world, our bodies have a hard time coping on its own. This results in oxidative stress which occurs when the production of free radicals exceeds the protective capability of the body’s antioxidant defenses.
Fortunately for us, nature has provided abundant sources of antioxidants in many common foods.
If free radicals are the equivalent of rust, then think of antioxidants as magnets that attract the rust and prevent it from doing damage. In fact, many antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E neutralize free radicals by binding to them to stabilize their activity.
Other antioxidants work by slowing down the damaging chain reactions caused by free radicals.
Coffee, in particular, is an important source of antioxidants in many people’s diet throughout the world. A study by Joe Vinson, PhD, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton (Pa) in the US, revealed that coffee came out ahead of 100 common food items, on the combined basis of both antioxidants per serving size and consumption frequency.
And unlike other food types that we can sometimes tire of, coffee remains a constant in our daily routine, ensuring that we somehow receive antioxidants on a daily basis.
In general, think of antioxidants as highly specialized soldiers that you regularly send into battle to combat harmful free radicals. It takes a constant stream of antioxidant nutrients like vitamins A, C, and E to effectively combat free radicals because these antioxidants are eventually overwhelmed (oxidized) in the line of duty.
You also need a wide variety of specialized antioxidant "troops" that know how to do battle in different terrain because just as certain free radicals tend to target specific cells, certain antioxidants seem to be better at fighting specific free radicals.
However, it’s important to remember that no one, single type of antioxidant can do the entire job of fighting free radicals. Your body needs a complex mix of beneficial antioxidants working together to get the job done properly and the best way to get that is through a wide variety of antioxidant-rich foods.
Antioxidants are abundant in fruits and vegetables, as well as in other foods, including some meats, poultry, fish, nuts, and grains. The list below describes some food sources of common antioxidants.
• Beta-carotene is found in many foods that are orange in color, including sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupe, squash, pumpkin, and mangoes.
• Lutein, best known for its association with healthy eyes, is abundant in green, leafy vegetables like spinach.
• Polyphenols are found in plants such as berries, coffee, cocoa, and peanuts.
• Lycopene is a potent antioxidant found in tomato, watermelon, guava, papaya, pink grapefruit, and other foods.
• Selenium is a mineral, not an antioxidant nutrient. However, it is a component of antioxidant enzymes. Plant foods like rice and wheat are the major dietary sources of selenium in most countries.
• Vitamin A-rich foods include liver, sweet potatoes, carrots, milk, egg yolks, and mozzarella cheese.
• Vitamin C is also called ascorbic acid, and can be found in high abundance in many fruits and vegetables as well as in cereals, beef, poultry, and fish.
• Vitamin E is found in almonds, in many oils including wheat germ, safflower, corn, and soybean oils, as well as in mangoes, nuts, broccoli,and other foods
In the end though, the role of antioxidants is to allow you to enjoy life in the peak of good health. And like all things in life, the key lies in figuring out a proper balance. When you have appropriate amounts of different antioxidants, you’re doing what you need to do to protect yourself from free radicals and enjoy good health.