If you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to live?

Antioxidants. Detox. We hear these words thrown around all the time. We know we should be eating more foods with antioxidants to help us detox, but are you aware of why?

Antioxidants help protect your body from the cell damage that’s caused by having too many free radicals in your system. Your body is naturally full of free radicals and antioxidants, but when eating an unbalanced diet free radicals start wreaking havoc. By increasing your intake of antioxidant-rich foods, you help your body neutralize free radicals.

How do antioxidants detox? Antioxidants keep your body working effectively so it can maintain its natural internal-cleansing mechanisms.

What happens when there are too many free radicals? When there are more free radicals in your body than antioxidants it causes accelerated aging, damaged or mutated cells, broken-down tissue, inflammation, the activation of harmful DNA, and an overloaded immune system.

Our world today is full of too many free radical causing agents (pollutants/toxins), in the air, water and even in our fruits and vegetables (if you aren’t buying organic foods). To allow your body to sufficiently detox, you need to make sure you’re eating antioxidant-rich foods. Perk is, many foods high in antioxidants are also powerful detoxers.

Positive effects of consuming more antioxidants

Slower signs of aging, including aging of the skin, eyes, tissue, joints, heart, and brain
Healthier, more youthful, glowing skin
Reduced cancer risk
Detoxification support
Longer life span
Protection against heart disease and stroke
Less risk for cognitive problems, such as dementia
Reduced risk for vision loss or disorders like macular degeneration and cataracts
Antioxidants are also added to food or household products to prevent oxidation and spoilage (1)

Top 10 detoxing & antioxidant-rich foods

I decided to pull together a super list. This list is comprised of the top 10 detoxifying foods that also rank the highest as antioxidant-rich foods (based on the ORAC chart).