Pretty much everybody in the health and wellness industry talks about antioxidants. "Boost your antioxidants" or "...contains antioxidants". That's all well and good, but if you don't know what antioxidants are, then this may mean absolutely nothing to you.
WHAT ARE FREE RADICALS?
Maybe the best place to start would be by explaining what free radicals are. Free radicals are unstable atoms in the body. They can cause a lot of cell damage and are one of the main causes for disease (think cancers, heart disease and diabetes). Some examples of free radicals are...
Air pollution
UV Rays
Processed foods
Cigarette smoke
Bacterial, fungal or viral infections
Toxins
Plus so many more...
WHAT ARE ANTIOXIDANTS?
Antioxidants are essentially the good guys that help to fight free radicals in the body. They make the atom stable again and therefore help fight disease and illnesses.
WHERE DO WE FIND ANTIOXIDANTS?
We get most of our antioxidants from diet. Healthy and colourful foods such as berries, carrots, squash, leafy greens and also green and white tea are packed with antioxidants. They are nutrients such as Vitamin A, C and E plus catechins and polyphenols for example.
I SEE THEM IN SKINCARE TOO?
Yep you do. Free radicals can also cause damage to our skin - think UV exposure for example. Applying antioxidant serums to our skin can help prevent free radical damage which can cause fine lines, wrinkles, collagen and elastin breakdown (think sun worshippers or heavy smokers who have lined and crepey skin) and also dull and lifeless skin.
HERE ARE MY FAVOURITE ANTIOXIDANTS FOR THE SKIN, BODY & WELL-BEING
My Vitamin C serum is a great antioxidant on the skin. It can also help to lighten and brighten the skin, along with providing lots of hydration too in the way of hyaluronic acid and glycerin.
The Nimue SPF 40 is also great to protect the skin from free radicals as it also contains antioxidants to protect the skin from UV damage.
ANTIOXIDANT by The Beauty Chef contains bio-fermented papaya and green tea to help to boost your antioxidant levels in the body. As it's bio-fermented it also contains probiotics and so is great for your gut health (learn more about why you need probiotics here)
Skin Antioxidant from Advanced Nutrition Programme contains a plethora of antioxidants to help fight free radical damage. It's another daily supplement containing ingredients such as bilberry extract, turmeric, grapeseed and green tea to boost your levels.
I hope you've found this little guide useful and also might try some of my favourite antioxidant products to help with your immunity, skin health and well-being,
Thank you so much for reading,
Lots of love,
Emmaline x
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