The Power of Antioxidants part II
Sources of antioxidants
The most important sources of organic antioxidants are the plants, but you can’t just start consuming those antioxidant-rich plans. We are all taking antioxidants in many different forms, such as:
Antioxidant food additives – are used in food industry to prevent food deterioration. Such antioxidants are ascorbic acid (vitamin C), citric acid, acetic acid (found in vinegar – used for pickling), and pectin.
Food antioxidant supplements – products rich in one particular antioxidant or a combination of antioxidants that are used by people to supplement their regular diets with antioxidants.
Green tea is such an antioxidant-rich herb, used for the production of many health products, such as weight loss supplements and antioxidant antiaging formulas.
Nutritional antioxidants
Antioxidant vitamins
- Vitamin A (Retinol is the dietary form of vitamin A and is synthesized by the body from beta-carotene) – rich sources of beta-carotenes are the carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, sea buckthorn, collards, cantaloupe, peaches and apricots
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) – sources of Vitamin C are citrus fruits, green peppers, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, strawberries, blueberries, fresh cabbage and tomatoes
- Vitamin E – whole grains, wheat germ, nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, vegetable oil
Antioxidant vitamin cofactors and minerals
- Coenzyme Q10 – its natural production by your body can decrease with ages, so you may need to take Q10 supplements
- Selenium (reduces the risk of male prostate cancer; it be taken in controlled amounts because large doses can be toxic) – food sources are grains, eggs, sunflower seeds, fish, shellfish, red meat, chicken, turkey, garlic, vegetables grown in selenium-rich soils
- Zinc – protects red blood cells from oxidative effects of other minerals like copper and iron
- Manganese – acts like an antioxidant as a part of the SOD enzyme (superoxide dismutase)
Carotenoid terpenoids – alpha-carotene and beta-carotene
Non-carotenoid terpenoids
- Eugenol (has the highest ORAC*) – very rich contained in clove oil and in smaller amounts in basil and cinnamon
* ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) – is a method of measuring antioxidant contents in foods; fruits ORAC units vary between 500 and 900 per 100 grams.
More nutritional antioxidants in the next post…