In this blog, I also want to explain the meaning of some of the terms I use. I have been teaching college level nutrition for 25 years and I read Nutrition journals and articles. So explaining Nutrition concepts in simple language is very important to me.
The word antioxidant is very important and useful for health and wellness. Examples of natural antioxidants in our foods are Vitamin A,C,E Remember ACE.
Our body produces produces Oxidants or free radicles, to fight off viruses and other foreign bodies that can cause major diseases. These Oxidants are needed in the short run but the problem occurs if we are chronically producing oxidants. Too much oxidation over time plays a huge role in chronic diseases such as heart disease and Cancer. Unfortunately these oxidants are also found in the environment. We get them from pollution, cigarette smoke and Ultra Violet rays from the sun.
Antioxidants can help prevent that oxidation process, but the most important thing to remember is to get them from wholesome foods. I do not believe in popping Vitamin A,C,E just to prevent diseases, unless prescribed by your doctor.
We should try to get these three Vitamins from the colorful foods in our diet. The deeper and darker the color of the food the more antioxidants in that food.
So try to make your daily meals as colorful as possible. I found this image on google images, but you can see what I mean about colorful foods being good for our bodies. 