Eat More Antioxidants, a Great Weight Loss Tip for Any Diet

Antioxidants are all the rage today and, justifiably so. Free radicals, which can cause cell damage and ultimately lead to diseases of the heart or cancer, can be neutralized by antioxidants. It seems everywhere you go looking for antioxidants, blueberries are the only choice. You have your choice of wild blueberry juice, blueberry pomegranate juice, blueberry-cranberry juice and so on. Even though we have embraced some of the wonderful antioxidant foods, we've ignored some of the most rich antioxidant foods. Here is an essential weight loss tip for you; instead of the beloved wild blueberry try the small red bean!

Why do we need to eat foods that are found to be naturally high in antioxidants? Scientists have found that the body forms unstable oxygen molecules, called free radicals; every cell produces tens of thousands of them each day.

An atom with an odd number of electrons is called a free radical. Free radicals indiscriminately pick up electrons from other atoms, which in turn convert those other atoms into secondary free radicals, thus setting up a chain reaction, which can cause substantial biological damage. Because of the biological damage that free radicals cause, they are very bad. Pollution, radiation, cigarette smoke, and herbicides are but just a few of the free radicals we are exposed to daily.

There are many common foods high in antioxidants and you should not just restrict yourself to one particular food source. Why?  Well, have you ever heard the expression, “eat your colors?”  That refers to the fact that foods are in different color “families” containing different types of antioxidants which have different benefits. Did you know that the yellow-orange color family including peaches and nectarines can help your immune system? To help reduce inflammation the purple-red color family of pomegranates, plums, and berries should be used. To reap the full benefits of antioxidants it is important to eat foods from all color groups.

By eating foods high in antioxidants raw or by juicing them yourself, you can save tons of money instead of spending it on the antioxidant juices being pushed at you in the supermarkets.

So, give your blueberries some company at the dinner table. Make sure to bring some beans, spinach, potatoes or artichoke hearts and enjoy your antioxidants and your weight loss tip of the day!