Antioxidants – The Body’s Good Guys
There are good guys and bad guys right in our bodies! The bad guys are free radicals – harmful molecules in our bodies that are built by things like stress, ultraviolet light, and smoking. Free radicals bounce around in our bodies smashing into our cells and DNA. The damage can lead to cancer, heart disease, and other health problems. Antioxidants are the good guys – our body’s defenders. When antioxidants contact a free radical, the free radical is stabilized and becomes harmless. The more antioxidants we have the better. Good natural sources include:
- Beta carotene and other carotenoids found in broccoli, carrots, spinach, tomatoes, melons, cantaloupe, and other yellow-orange and dark-green vegetables and fruits.
- Vitamin A in dairy products, fish, and eggs.
- Vitamin C from citrus fruits and juices, broccoli, tomatoes, strawberries, potatoes, green peppers, and cabbage.
- Vitamin E from broccoli, spinach, vegetable oils, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and peanut butter.
The right foods can help your body’s good guys win the free radical fight.
ยป Learn more about antioxidants from the National Institutes of Health.