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antioxidants

Can the contents of your kitchen seriously save your life? A growing body of research suggests that what you eat and drink can protect your body against myriad health woe. Studies have also shown that up to 70 percent of heart disease cases are preventable with the right food choices.

“What’s good for your heart is good for your brain and good for you in general,” says Arthur Agatston, MD, a renowned cardiologist and founder of the South Beach Diet.

There is just one little trick to turning your kitchen into a hub for heart health: Don’t stick to the same few foods. The secret is by varying the types of fish, vegetables, whole grains and other items you enjoy every day. With that in mind, we’ve compiled the world’s top foods for your heart—mix and match a handful of them every week to eat your way toward a healthier you.

Yams

This is a great source of Vitamin C, calcium and iron, which helps to reduce high blood pressure. Eat the skin, too, which is full of heart-healthy nutrients.

Wild salmon (not farmed)

Broiled, grilled or baked, this tasty, fleshy fish is replete with omega-3 fatty acids that improve the metabolic markers for heart disease. It also has a rich level of selenium, an antioxidant that studies have shown boosts cardiovascular protection. (Of course, not all salmon is created equal: Find out what the ‘Invasion of The Frankenfish’ means for your health.)

Sardines

These spiny little creatures are also loaded with omega-3s in the form of fish oil, which increases “good” cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of sudden heart attacks in people who have experienced previous attacks, according to the Mayo Clinic. Stick to fresh ones to avoid the canned variety’s high salt content.

Liver

Liver contains fats that are good for the heart, says William Davis, MD, a Wisconsin-based preventive cardiologist and author of ‘Wheat Belly’. “That’s the way humans are scripted,” he says. “Primitive humans ate the entire animal. Livers contain a lot of fats and that’s healthy.”

Oatmeal

The highly publicised benefits of eating your oatmeal have long shown it’s a wonder meal for reducing cholesterol. But eat only the plain, non-processed kind. Instant and flavoured oats are often drenched in processed sugar.

Coffee

Caffeine junkies rejoice. According to Dr Agatston, studies have shown that coffee is high in antioxidants and reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. Up to three cups a day also increases cognition levels and helps decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Agatston says. (That’s not the only thing a cup of java can do. We’ve got four more coffee cures that will convince you to drink up.)

Red wine

Back to the importance of resveratrol, a compound with antioxidant properties, which can also help prevent cancer. According to a recent study from the UK’s University of Leicester, resveratrol is found in dark-skinned berries and grapes. Madirans and Cabernets typically contain large amounts of procyanidins, an antioxidant that helps to reduce cholesterol and increases arterial health.

Antioxidants have been the hype of health products lately. This gave some companies millions in sales. It is one of the most successful health supplement campaigns and it still does. A health supplement can be very successful for business. But do the common folk really benefit from the success? Truth is, yes. Antioxidants work wonders for the body. It aids the body in so many ways and here is some of it.

System fire fighters: The body requires energy to live. Even breathing requires energy for the muscles to use. Everything you do, even thinking, requires a lot of energy. Though it’s a clear fact of life that most of us are missing is the result of such process. The body converts the food into energy through oxidation. This is similar to burning of fuel from cars. But what is left after the so called combustion process is the heat. And for the human body that would mean trouble. This is where antioxidants come to the rescue. We have natural antioxidants within our body that can counter the damage. But truth is, it is not sufficient. From breathing, digestion to thinking, all of these require energy which in turn requires antioxidants to cool down millions of cells at once. But modern society has even more. Pollution and stress release free-radicals as well. And to cope with this gap we need to consume additional antioxidants to relieve the body from these harmful effects.

Cleanses the destructive aftermath: The aftermath of using energy is very disadvantageous for the cells. Thus it requires cleaning and repairs. Cleansing of free-radicals in the body needs a huge amount of antioxidants. The more energy you use, the more destructive it is for the body. Active lifestyle is good for your health but it should be balanced with the right amounts of antioxidants as well.Taking antioxidant supplements is not just for fancy lifestyle, it’s good for your health.

Lengthens your cell’s life: The body’s cell depends on nutrients from the food. But destructive energy production makes it even harder for individual cells. Each time it uses energy it needs to repair itself. And each cycle makes the cell’s life shorter. This is a natural process but it can become even more challenging if free-radicals come into action. This can further shorten the life of cells. This is the reason why some people age very rapidly, not with the number of years but with their body. Healthy cells dictate how old your body would be. With the aid of antioxidants, body cells may give you more extra years to enjoy.

Lowers risk of diseases: Old age comes with diseases. It sounds all natural but the reason behind this is, again, your cells. On one side the body has the capacity of repairing and healing itself. This phenomenon happens each day without you noticing it. On the other side, each time the body repairs itself, the cell’s life shortens as well. If you expose yourself to loads of stress, physically or mentally, the body will have a harder time repairing itself. If left unaided the body will be overwhelmed with free-radicals, making cells weak. This will ultimately cause ageing and diseases. The antioxidant can aid in this problem. It will help eradicate the harmful free-radicals and help in cell repairs as well.

Antioxidant is not an all-in-one solution to all diseases that plague the human body. But this is one thing that could help your body recover naturally. Remember, healthy cells equates to healthy body.