Feed Your Body With Antioxidants

With today's busy schedules and somehow stressful environments, our body tend to become older than it should be. Stressful factors cause our cells to age faster as we forget sometimes to maintain a healthy lifestyle. In order to have a healthier body, a younger appearance or at least to avoid health complications, we need antioxidants.

Antioxidants are substances that help repair damaged or unhealthy cells. They promote metabolism to optimise cell function. They are molecules that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that transfers electrons or hydrogen from a substance to an oxidising agent. When chain reaction occurs in the cell, it can cause damage or death of cells. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radicals and inhibit other oxidation reactions.

Antioxidants simply mean anti-radicals. They play a very crucial biological role in the body by protecting against oxidative damage, thus, preventing disorders and help delay aging as well. Healthier cells function properly, make you look young and boost immune system function.

Antioxidants come from different sources and are classified into 3 main types.  They can be manufactured by our body or found in plants and animals that we eat.

Enzymes

They are synthesised in the body while others are made from the nutrients and minerals in the the food we eat.

Examples

• CoQ10 - also known as Ubiquinone and abbreviated as CoQ10. A fat soluble vitamin-like substance responsible for thousands of metabolic processes that sustain life. It is sometimes used as an ingredient in facial creams and cleansers because of its strong ability to repair cells.  
• Papain - an enzyme present in papaya that helps in digestion. It breaks down tough meat fibers and has been used to tenderise meat.

Vitamins

Vitamins are known to be very essential to our body. They cannot be synthesised in our bodies. They are found in the food we eat. These vitamins are called vitamin antioxidants.

Examples

• Vitamin A - a fat soluble vitamin essential for good vision.
• Vitamin C - a water soluble vitamin that helps repair cells and helps strengthen our body's resistance against various diseases. 
• Vitamin E - a fat soluble vitamin that helps detoxify cells by fighting free radicals. 

Phytochemicals

Also known as phytonutrients. They are created by plants to protect themselves and has been found out that they also work as an antioxidant within our body.

Examples

• Capsaicinoids - an antioxidant that gives chili peppers their hotness that has antibiotic and analgesic properties. Also known to help lose weight and has anti-cancer properties. 
• Flavonoids - they help protect blood vessels and help protect cells from oxidative damage. They also help prevent inflammatory reactions inside the body.