Healthy antioxidants: These foods are part of a balanced diet

Antioxidants protect us from diseases and strengthen the immune system. We’ll tell you how they work and which foods they are contained in.

Antioxidants are naturally occurring chemical substances that protect and strengthen our body from harmful influences. They are not individual substances, but rather groupings of particularly valuable substances.

You can get antioxidants through food and do something good for your health. Here you can find out what they do and which foods are rich in antioxidants.

Antioxidants: Two categories

The first category of antioxidants is found in various natural compounds. These include, for example, vitamins, minerals and secondary plant substances, including:

• Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E

• Trace elements such as zinc and selenium

• secondary plant substances such as sulfides, phytoestrogens or polyphenols

But there is a second category of antioxidants that our body produces itself. What many people don’t know: hormones, enzymes and metabolic products are antioxidants.

That’s why antioxidants are so important for us

Antioxidants are the opponents of free radicals. These are oxygen compounds that can cause cancer, for example. They are formed in the body during various metabolic processes. Stress and excessive alcohol consumption can also cause them, as Ökotest explains.

But free radicals are also caused by environmental influences. This includes:

• Cigarette smoke
• UV radiation
• Environmental toxins (e.g. air pollution from fine dust, microplastics in water or pollutants from wall paints)

If you have too many free radicals in your body, it leads to oxidative stress, as Ökotest writes. Oxidative stress is suspected of causing diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and cancer because it attacks cells. Oxidative stress is also a trigger for premature skin aging. To prevent this, you should pay attention to a varied and balanced diet.

There are lots of antioxidants in these foods

To avoid oxidative stress, you should include foods rich in antioxidants in your diet. These include, for example:

• Blueberries contain polyphenols. They have an anti-inflammatory effect and protect our cells. Blueberries also provide vitamins C, E and A, which are good for the skin. Other berries also contain antioxidants. Dark varieties are the frontrunners.

• Coffee also contains polyphenols and is therefore healthier than expected.

• Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant.

• According to a review study, garlic can have a preventive effect against cancer.

• Nuts are packed with vitamin E, one of the most powerful antioxidants! Nut oils such as walnut oil or linseed oil also have this effect.

• Carrots contain carotene. Our body can convert this into the antioxidant vitamin A.

• Thanks to their high vitamin C content, citrus fruits are free radical scavengers, as the AOK explains.

• Broccoli contains folic acid, iron, vitamin C, potassium, calcium and beta-carotene and is therefore considered a superfood. In general, green vegetables are full of antioxidants, as the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) explains.

• According to the TK, millet is also one of the foods that contain many antioxidants. Millet offers iron, magnesium and silicon – skin, hair and nails in particular benefit from this.

This is what you should keep in mind when it comes to antioxidants

Antioxidants are good for our body because they can protect us from free radicals and therefore from numerous diseases. However, it is better to consume them fresh and not through dietary supplements. According to consumer protection, it has not been proven that these products can protect against illness or counteract the aging process.

In the following guides you will find helpful tips for a healthy and balanced diet:

• Healthy eating: These sentences prevent us from eating healthily
• Proper nutrition: 12 nutrition myths exposed!
• Food pyramid: These foods should become a habit
• Vegan food pyramid: How to achieve a healthy diet

Read more on Techzle\.com:

• Strengthen your immune system: This is how you arm yourself against viruses this winter
• Prevent colds: How to stay healthy
• Why we should all eat quinces more often

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