We are all fighting the ravages of time. But, what if time didn’t have to be so ravaging? Antioxidants may be the answer to help your body grow old gracefully, strong, and healthy. Antioxidants are substances that fight free radical damage in the body. This begs the next question: What are free radicals? The body uses food nutrients at a cellular level to drive certain reactions that goes on in the body. This is called cellular metabolism or respiration. Free radicals are by-products produced by these reactions. In the body, these substances bump into organs, vessels and everything else, damaging them in the process. That is why the body ages, and not always so gracefully.

Free radicals can come from not only the body but also the environment. Pollution, smoking, stress, drugs, alcohol, and other sources all feed into the damage that causes us to age. Antioxidants help by neutralising the effects of these rogue particles. You are less prone to disease, wrinkles, age spots, arthritis, and the list goes on. As it stands, there are no recommendations as far as the amount of antioxidants you have to consume each day. Suffice it to say, eat as many as you can not only for anti-aging effects but also for overall good health. Let’s look at some antioxidant rich foods: