While following a very healthy nutritional plan, one thing to further consider is what you can do to help promote anti-aging benefits for your body.
There's no doubt that as we get older, time is going to have some effect on our body. But, if we act early and we take the right measures, we can definitely have an impact and reduce the effect it has on our appearance. That way we move that much closer to attain the dream look we're after.
Women all over the world are spending thousands of dollars on different skin creams and other treatments that contain 'antioxidants' in their quest to help their skin look younger.
But is it worth it?
In this article I'll go over how antioxidants fight aging and how to add these into your nutrition plan.
So let's start by answering the question: What Are Antioxidants?
Antioxidants are a certain type of molecule that prevents the oxidation of other molecules in the body. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent. These oxidation reactions can produce 'free radicals', which then start a series of chain reactions that can lead to the damage of the cells. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions. Therefore, the role of the antioxidants is to essentially act as a shield against free radicals and the damage they could cause, by protecting the cells and making sure these free radicals are removed.
Some of the main antioxidants include vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, Selenium, Manganese, Chromium, as well as Zinc. Each one of these benefits your body and your health in a different way and will help to reduce the signs of aging.
So the next question to answer is: How can we get these antioxidants?
In order to increase your intake of antioxidants quickly and easily, the best way to do it is to consume a balanced diet that is rich in fresh fruit and vegetables. These are the foods that will provide the most antioxidants to the cells.
One tip for when you are shopping your produce is to look for the brightest and most colourful varieties. That is an obvious sign that they are very high in antioxidant content. Following that tip, your best high anti-oxidant produce would be carrots, bell peppers, spinach, oranges, grapes, as well as berries. The more of these you can consume in your diet, the better.
Added to this, in order to increase your antioxidant intake, you should also choose healthy sources of fat to add in your diet. That includes almonds, walnuts, and flaxseeds. Not only will these help to defend against free radicals, but they will also promote optimal health as well.
Apart from adding all of the foods listed above in your diet, if your lifestyle is a very stressful one, then you are more susceptible to possible oxidation. Therefore, it would be advised to consume antioxidant supplements as well in order to boost your body and your cells with barriers against the free radicals.
For the people that are doing heavy training, they should get vitamin C and vitamin E supplements in order to increase their daily consumption of antioxidants.
So, a nutrition plan which is rich in fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats will go a long way to keep you looking younger and keep you healthy as well!
Which anti-oxidants are you having in your diet?
If you are interested in weight loss without depriving yourself, you should check my site about Metabolic Cooking at http://www.metaboliccookinginfo.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christina_Karachaliou
