How to improve your antioxidants pool

Highlight

• Antioxidants are molecules that fight against free radicals and oxidative stress.
• They exist in many forms and can be consumed from various sources.
• Excellent sources of antioxidants mainly come from plant-based food, very rarely from animal sources.
• Antioxidants from supplements can be helpful to those who struggle to eat a balanced and nutritious meal every day.
• The best way to ensure a consistent daily antioxidants pool in our body is by eating fruits & vegetables consistently everyday. 

1. Introduction

“This product is high in antioxidants!”

Many conventional health supplement brands tend to slap that slogan on their product to make them more appealing to their buyers. Most consumers do not even understand what an antioxidant is and how it works to help improve our health. Moreover, many didn’t know that there are natural sources of antioxidants that do not come in processed form.

2. What is an antioxidant?

Antioxidants are molecules that fight against free radicals and oxidative stress. They naturally exist in our body and can also be obtained from the food we eat. Antioxidants are actually not a fixed group of nutrients or molecules but rather a type of function that molecules can exhibit.

One  of their main functions is to fight the excessive free radicals in our body. This in turn prevents many inflammation & cellular damages that may become the cause of various diseases and health issues. Check out our previous bog post here[1]  to learn more about free radicals.

3. Good sources of antioxidants ¹

Antioxidants can come in various forms and types. Some of the most common ones are:

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin A
• Zinc
• Selenium
• Manganese
• Flavonoids

They may come in various forms of food. However, most of the excellent sources of antioxidants mainly come from plant sources. This can be vegetables, fruits, spices, herbs, seeds, nuts, and teas. Although our body does have its own system that fights free radicals, often time, it’s not enough and we need to supplement it with antioxidants from the food we eat. In fact, some of these antioxidants cannot be produced by our body so we actually need to eat them in order to have them in our system.

Functional foods are usually tied to having a high amount of antioxidants. Not only that, they are also high in other beneficial nutrients such as fibers, minerals, vitamins, good fat (essential fatty acids), and lactic acid bacteria cultures. The best sources of antioxidants are whole foods such as:

• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Tomatoes
• Green leafy vegetables
• Spices (turmeric, mustard, clove, red chillies, cinnamon, saffron, garlic, onion, curry leaf, ginger, fenugreek, etc.)
• Berries
• Citrus fruits
• Seeds (sunflower seeds, hemp seed, chia seed, etc.)
• Nuts (pistachio, walnut, peanut, almond, etc.)
• Tea (green tea, lemongrass tea, ginger tea, etc.)

The list above is not exhaustive; other plant-based foods are still beneficial for your health and still contain a good amount of antioxidants & nutrients in them. If you’re eating a good amount of fruits, vegetables, and spices in your daily meals, you’re probably doing good in the antioxidants department!

4. What about animal sources?

There are only a number of antioxidants that can be found naturally in animal sources. Food such as liver, milk, butter, and eggs contain a good amount of vitamin A. Whereas food such as chicken, fish, beef, turkey, and cheese can be a good source of selenium. When choosing to get your antioxidants from these animal sources, be cautious of the saturated fat that they may contain.

5. What about supplemental sources?

Taking antioxidants from supplements can be helpful especially to those struggling with eating fruits, vegetables, and spices in their daily meals. However, most conventional brands out there tend to fill up their products with a higher amount of nutrients than what one should be taking. Some may even consist up to 3000% of the daily recommended amount for adults.

Common antioxidant supplements one can obtain from the pharmacy are vitamin C and multivitamins. Other health and beauty products may also be added with antioxidants to increase their benefits to the consumers. Before committing to any health supplements, make sure to check the brand’s credibility and the legitimacy of the ingredients used in the products to avoid negative side effects and possible health issues in the future.

6. How much should you take?

When taking whole foods containing antioxidants, there isn’t really a single guideline that can tell how much of each type of food you should consume. However, if you’re eating at least 5 servings of fruits & vegetables daily, you are more likely to get a good amount of antioxidants needed. Even better, you are less likely to experience any possible side effects or health risk from eating whole foods. If you choose to consume any health supplements, make sure to check the ingredients and follow the intake instructions that come with the products to avoid overconsumption and side effects.

It’s nearly impossible to get all the nutrients and antioxidants you need from the food you eat in a day. So the best way possible is to vary your meals and food choices daily. This will help to increase the antioxidants pool in your body with not just antioxidants, but other essential & supplementary nutrients your body may need.

References

1. Lobo, V., Patil, A., Phatak, A., & Chandra, N. (2010). Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 4(8), 118. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.70902