Antioxidants: What Are They and How Do You Get Them?
The wellness world is full of jargon. Some of it is fairly intuitive (terms like GMO and “whole foods” are pretty straightforward), while some of it can feel more esoteric (terms like collagen peptides and amino acids spring to mind). Understanding these terms is critical to incorporating healthful wellness trends into your daily routine, but sometimes they require more than just a cursory explanation.
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Take, for instance, antioxidants. Undoubtedly, you’ve heard the term before, probably in connection with a hot new anti-ageing serum or emblazoned on the label of a smoothie blend. But what exactly are antioxidants? How does your body benefit from these oft-discussed molecules, and what foods and drinks contain them in abundance?
Those are the questions this article attempts to answer. Below, let’s take a microscope to the concept of antioxidants and offer suggestions for how to incorporate these beneficial molecules into your daily routine.
What Are Antioxidants?
To answer that question adequately, let’s first take a step back and talk about oxidants, or the oxidation process. In your body, oxidation is caused by the presence of “free radicals,” chemicals that cause damage to your cells through oxidative stress. A few free radicals are nothing to worry about; in fact, they’re totally natural. However, an excess of free radicals can cause all sorts of health problems (and may even be responsible for the ageing process).
What antioxidants do is manage your body’s oxidative stress by neutralizing those excess free radicals. Less damage to your cells means a healthier body overall.
Of course, any quick definition of a complex scientific process will be an oversimplification, but that should give you a good idea of what antioxidants are and why they’re essential.
Food and Drinks Rich in Antioxidants
Now that you know exactly what they are, you may wonder: What can you do to boost your antioxidants?
Luckily, there are several ways to incorporate these healthy compounds into your diet. Certain everyday foods like blueberries, kale and (yes, even) chocolate are high in antioxidants. Nuts, grapes, sweet potatoes and beans also boast impressive antioxidant profiles.
If you want to supercharge your antioxidant intake, incorporate adaptogen mushrooms like chaga into your diet. You can find this superfood fungus, which has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine, in pre-portioned powder sticks at Rritual – just stir it into your morning coffee (also high in antioxidants!) or hot water. In addition to providing antioxidants, chaga may also help boost your immune system.
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Using Antioxidants in Your Skincare Routine
Antioxidants aren’t just for ingesting. They’re also massively popular in cosmetics and skincare, where they are often broken down by vitamin type and marketed for various purposes. For instance, products high in Vitamin A are marketed for anti-ageing, whereas those high in Vitamin E play up anti-inflammatory, moisturizing aspects. Antioxidant skincare products can have significant superficial benefits, but for best overall results, pair your beauty routine with the foods and drinks mentioned above.
To summarize, antioxidants are an essential guard against the cell-destroying effects of naturally-occurring free radicals. To keep your body flush with antioxidants, cook meals with antioxidant-rich foods, brew a mug of chaga tea each morning and make antioxidants a cornerstone of your cosmetic routine.
