Antioxidants are important factors to good health. Fortunately, you can find many foods that are high in antioxidants at your supermarket in the produce aisle and at your local health food store and farmers markets.
When our bodies expend oxygen in the process of life, oxygen free radicals are produced. A free radical is fundamentally a molecule that is deficient one or more electrons. This makes it exceedingly erratic and harmful to our bodies. Free radicals create inflammation, which is a cause of many ailments from heart disease to wrinkles. An antioxidant reduces inflammation by donating the absent electron thus stabilizing the molecule. Antioxidants are important for reducing inflammation.
The way that antioxidant aptitude in food is measured is by a scale referred to as ORAC or the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. The food is assigned a number based upon how well the antioxidants it contains were capable to defuse free radicals in a test tube. The higher the ORAC number is, the higher the antioxidant ability of the food.
Two deliciously wonderful foods that have the maximum score of concrete foods are dried, unsweetened cocoa, which chocolate is made from and the acai berry from the rainforests of Brazil. Dark chocolate that contains 60 to 70% cocoa is one of the most appealing and gratifying health foods there is.
Acai berries are just as delicious. Lots of people describe the taste as something akin to a delectable berry dipped in dark chocolate. You can find acai berry products that are juices, smoothie mixes and even tablets and capsules. The acai berry is extraordinarily perishable so it is not possible to have the fresh fruit outside of Brazil. However, it is fortunate that advanced processing methods have made this little berry accessible worldwide.
Another delicious and satisfying way to get a good for you dose of antioxidants is through red wine. Red wine is high in the pigment that causes good for your health foods to have the deep dark blue and red colors. This pigment is called anthocyanins and it is an enormously beneficial antioxidant. Red wine is beneficial in moderation however, as with any type of alcohol, there is risk of problems linked with over consumption. One glass a day though can offer you a delightful way to get a healthy dose of antioxidants.
Astonishingly enough though, the acai berry essentially contains 10 to 30 times more anthocyanins than red wine. Anthocyanins have been verified to be advantageous for our cardiovascular systems along with many other advantages including possible weight loss.
Acai berry products can be found as smoothie mixes, delicious juices and even capsules and pills. Take an acai berry product daily and then relax later on with 1 ounce of dark chocolate and one glass of red wine and you have received a decent dose of good for you antioxidants.
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