Why are antioxidants good for your body
Daily consumption of antioxidant-rich foods contributes to heart health, helps prevent premature aging, and may even prevent some types of cancer. Today we will talk about berries that contain a lot of antioxidants and which antioxidant rich berry you should add to your meals.
Fresh fruits, berries, and certain herbs contain large amounts of antioxidants and should be part of a diet to maintain health and fitness.
In addition to fiber, vitamins, and minerals, the antioxidant fruits still contain pigments that make them true defense agents of the body, fighting the feared free radicals and maintaining the proper functioning of the cells.
What are antioxidants and free radicals?
Antioxidants are chemicals that protect our cells from damage by free radicals. Let’s understand then what these famous free radicals are.
All cells in our body need oxygen to convert nutrients from food into energy. This process, called oxidation, has the collateral effect of releasing molecules that are unstable and have a negatively charged electron. These are free radicals whose natural tendency is to bind to other compounds to acquire the missing electron in order to gain stability.
In general, free radicals attack the molecules that are closest, “stealing” an electron from them. And when these molecules run out of an electron, they end up becoming free radicals, and then a chain reaction begins. These radicals thus end up damaging cells that were hitherto healthy, compromising their functions.
This process of releasing free radicals occurs at all times, but our body is able to repair it most of the time through the natural production of antioxidants.
Where do free radicals come from?
However, there are external factors that can lead to the formation of an excess of free radicals, causing irreparable damages to the cells.
- Among them, we have cigarettes, ultraviolet radiation from the sun, alcohol, environmental pollution, pesticides, stress and high consumption of chemical additives present in industrialized foods (hormones, dyes).
- And besides the above factors, it is worth remembering that natural aging itself leads to the accumulation of free radicals in our body.
In addition to avoiding the oxidizing agents mentioned above, we have to include in our diet, foods with pigments capable of neutralizing the free radicals, as is the case of those present in antioxidant-rich berries.
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Types of antioxidant-rich berry
In nature, we can find three major types of antioxidants: phytochemicals, enzymes, and polyphenols. Many of the most potent antioxidants are found in plants because they are exposed to the sun most of the day.
This exposure to ultraviolet rays leads to the production of many free radicals, which in turn induce plants to produce a large number of antioxidants to protect themselves.
So when we eat fresh fruits such as berries, we are absorbing all the antioxidants it contains. And science has made us know that some fruits such as berries have more antioxidants than others.
As a result, a highlight of some antioxidant-rich berries includes:
Blueberries – the most powerful antioxidant fruits
Organic blueberries are one of the most powerful antioxidant fruits we have in nature. They are associated with cancer prevention, brain damage, high cholesterol, and age-related health conditions.
In addition, blueberries contain other vitamins and minerals that are very beneficial to your health.
Wild blueberries – wild fruits with strong antioxidant properties
These berries have the same appearance as normal blueberries, but their flesh is different because it is white. Native to northern Europe and America this bay is mainly grown in Canada.
The popularity of wild blueberry is on the rise and for a good reason: several studies have established a link between the consumption of these berries and a reduction in the risk of cancer as well as cardiovascular and degenerative diseases.
Wild blueberries are also known for fighting diarrhea, interrupting lactation and lowering blood glucose levels in people with diabetes.
Strawberry – contains vitamin C and flavonoids
It’s not just pregnant women who have the right to have strawberry cravings! This antioxidant rich berry is excellent for health since it is low in calories, rich in vitamin C and flavonoids, which limit the risk of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis that is to accumulate fat in the arteries.
Consuming 350 g of strawberries a day would increase the body’s antioxidant capacity and help protect against cancer.
Good news, even if baking strawberries causes a loss of 15% to 20% of flavonoid content, the antioxidant substances are still present in strawberry jam. Indeed, some flavonoids and ellagic acid would increase slightly with the duration of jam storage, for 3, 6 and 9 months.
Cranberry flavonoids are very powerful
Another good fruit from the antioxidant-rich berry family is the Cranberry.
Cranberries are still consumed in most parts of the world today and should certainly be more present in our diet. One cup of this berry provides nearly 9,000 antioxidants to the body.
Cranberry flavonoids are also potent antioxidants, helping to fight tumor cells and preventing the damaging action of free radicals. Consumption of cranberry is also associated with an improvement in urinary tract infections due to its antibacterial action.
In some supermarkets you can find cranberry juice, which offers all the benefits of fresh Cranberry fruit – just be aware of the sugar content of some brands.
Aronia berry – has the highest levels of natural antioxidants of all fruits
Aronia is the name of a very dark antioxidant-rich berry, native to the Americas, but by far the most popular in Eastern Europe, where its juice is known to help people with heart disease.
The natural juice is very sweet and tastes like cranberry juice. Its flavor also comes like a cross between the cranberry and blueberry, although probably not as fragrant as both. The juice has a dark purple color.
Aronia berries have the highest levels of natural antioxidants of all fruits. They are also the richest source of fruit anthocyanins and other antioxidants.
Several studies have shown that aronia berries to help with diabetes, urinary tract infections, and cancer.
Furthermore, Aronia has an ORAC (Oxygen Radical absorption capacity – a measure of the potency of an antioxidant to neutralize free radicals) higher than any other food. This is due to the high concentration of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, both of which contribute to the dark color of the berry.
Acai berry contains an incredible amount of natural antioxidants
Acai antioxidant-rich berry is the fruit of a tropical palm species that grows in the center and south of the American continent, similar in size to a grape, small, round and purple. Its recent international fame is mainly due to its incredible amount of natural antioxidants.
But also for helping to lose weight by being a very effective natural detoxifier, promoting weight loss by improving the overall health of the body, promoting digestion and colon cleansing.
Acai berries are rich in vitamins A, B, and C, minerals (especially iron and calcium), dietary fiber and proteins. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, beta-sitosterol (a phytosterol that inhibits the formation of cholesterol in humans) and essential amino acids.
The seed is 95% of the acai fruit, and the rest is the pulp from which it produces its delicious juice with its rich flavor and dark pigmentation that is consumed in bottles, with yogurt or smoothie and in all kinds of healthy foods. The global demand for the acai berry has expanded rapidly in recent years, mainly in the United States where it is a trend.
Acai drinks are very popular and are considered one of the best energy drinks by many athletes and superstars. Athletics trainers know the value of antioxidants and supplements that provide protein, long-lasting energy.
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In conclusion, the consumption of antioxidant-rich berry can be extremely beneficial for your health. Also, other foods and herbs containing a lot of antioxidants can prevent or slow down every form of oxidative damage which may attack our bodies.
Some natural supplements are designed to effectively remove toxins and cleanse the body. With this purpose, a Red Detox Tea herbal blend is made. It is used to profoundly clean the colon and organism in line with the Red Tea Detox program.