Archive for January, 2009

It has been proved beyond doubt that antioxidant fruits are beneficial to health and well-being. However all antioxidant fruits do not provide the same level of health benefits. It could be said that some antioxidant fruits are more equal than others. They have a higher percentage of antioxidants and offer more health benefits than some of the other fruits. Some fruits may offer you nutrients along with antioxidant properties, while other fruit may have only vitamins.

The human body is designed to derive its energy requirements by utilizing oxygen as well as nutrients as fuel. However oxygen, though it does provide a lot of benefits and has a lot of positive effects, could possibly be accompanied by a negative ripple effect. When oxygen is processed in the body by a process known as oxidation, there is a simultaneous production of oxygen byproducts known as free radicals. The highly reactive free radicals may cause a certain amount of damage to cells. The antioxidant substances that are present in antioxidant fruits work by neutralizing these free radicals. In this process they are prevented from causing any damage.

The Benefits of Antioxidant Fruits

With so much being said in recent times about antioxidants and health benefits they provide people are becoming more and more aware of this radical substance. By now everybody knows that citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C and apples have a high beta-carotene content. A daily diet that focuses on a high consumption of antioxidants helps give the body a stronger defense mechanism in its fight against free radicals and consequently oxidative stress, which is damage that free radicals cause. Many scientists have linked the process of oxidative stress to the development of degenerative and chronic diseases including cancer and heart disease.

Including cereals, vegetables and fruit in your diet give you additional benefits that you would not get if you took antioxidant supplements. Scientists suspect that this could be due to the fact that the consumption of antioxidant fruits in the form of food probably creates a combination of antioxidant substances that are lesser known but just as potent. These antioxidant combinations would probably have an effect that was far greater than that provided by any individual antioxidant supplement or any single nutrient.

In one of the recent Journal of Nutrition issues, the analysis of the antioxidant content of many different antioxidant fruits was published. According to the charts, strawberries, sour cherries, blue berries, crowberries, black currants, raspberries and black berries had the highest antioxidant content of all fruit in the berry family. Other important antioxidant fruits include grapefruit, plum, pomegranates, kiwi, lemon, orange, grape, dates, pineapple and Clementine. Broad beans were first in the list in the legume category, whereas walnuts occupied first place in the nuts category and sunflower seeds were second. Other foods that are rich in antioxidants include barley, red beets, kale, corn, red cabbage, ginger, chili pepper and millet.

• Vitamins And Smoking Smoking and Vitamins may sound oxymoronic, but if you smoke, taking vitamins and mineral supplements may be the most important thing you can do for yourself in the fight against free radicals and cadmium, which can be toxic. It goes without saying that smoking is very dangerous to your......
• Grocery Shopping for Better Health pt 3 This is part 3 in a 4 part series about knowing how to read labels and excel at grocery shopping for the purpose of losing weight and getting yourself healthy in every way. Learning how to master grocery shopping is not difficult once you are aware of what to look......
• Vitamins For Diabetes Natural Treatment Of Diabetes: Researches, Benefits What You Must Know About Diabetes Most of us know that people with diabetes have problems with too much sugar in their bodies. But there's a bit more to be aware of in understanding this complex disease. For one thing, diabetes comes in two......
• Healthy Eating for Kids Getting kids to eat healthy can be quite a challenge—children seem to abide the rules of “bad things taste good, good things taste bad,” and “eat things that taste good.” Even adults fall into this pattern often.  However, it’s important for everyone to eat a healthy diet. It’s especially......
• More Essential Tips for Good Health Here is a look at ten essential tips for good health, which involve diet, weight loss, good nutrition, fitness and movement and other aspects of your health. Tie these ten essential tips together and you will have a picture of good health and wellness. Essential Tip #3 - If you're......