Much has been said about the advantages of antioxidants but did you know that they are able to help fight a number of diseases and conditions and all this from something found in plants. Many fruits and vegetables contain these compounds called ‘phytonutrients’, which have the beneficial effect of keeping us healthy by improving our immune system. So far scientists have cataloged over nine hundred phytonutrients (phytochemicals),with these discoveries (and more to come), scientists believe the face of health care is changing, hopefully forever. To date a large number of health giving benefits of these phytonutrients have been found,cherries for instance are able to reduce the pain in joints and blueberries have anti-aging properties.
Blueberries contain an array of antioxidants while having a lower natural sugar content than many other fruits you can care to mention. For many people eating fruit does not come easily but drinking the juice is much more pleasant and an efficient way to get the goodness from the fruit into our systems,this will help improve our healing ability and blood circulation. The other properties of antioxidants include the ability to fight disease as well. You will also find high levels of these substances in apples which can help to reduce the chance of heart disease.
Now citrus fruits too are showing that they have a use with a number of beneficial phytochemicals contained in them. Anti-inflammatory agents contained in tart cherries are proving beneficial for those with joint pain like arthritis and gout. We have all been informed of the essential health benefits of certain vitamins and minerals but these are being looked at in depth as well. Phytoalexins, also antioxidants like resveratrol, are found in mulberries, blackberries and blueberries have special properties which prevent infection and viruses.
Many aging conditions benefit from the use of these compounds including, strokes, heart conditions and Alzheimer’s. Tomatoes are another fruit that contains nutrients that can help prevent to the onset of certain cancers as well as heart conditions. There are a number of ways you can use tomatoes to gain the greatest antioxidant benefit from them and these include pureed, juice concentrate and sauce. More recently the refreshing watermelon has been discovered to contain some of the most beneficial phytonutrients yet seen. With all the natural goodness fruit contains and now the health benefits as well, isn’t it time for you to start having more fruit in your diet.
