I’m sure you’ve read plenty of articles referring to antioxidants. Those articles may have touted them as being beneficial for everything from weight loss management to protecting the heart to avoiding cancer. You may have been left wondering ‘what exactly are antioxidants’ and ‘how can they help me achieve my healthy living goals?’ First, let’s start with a definition of antioxidants. The prefix ‘anti’ means against, in opposition to, or corrective in nature. So, what exactly do antioxidants oppose and correct? It won’t come as a big shock for you to learn that within the body, cells are at work all the time and millions of processes are happening at once. Each process or molecule requires oxygen, which can actually have a damaging effect on tissues. Oxidants, also known as, ‘free radicals’ are unstable molecules with extra ‘free’ electrons looking for a connection. They act like bullets firing around your system, causing damage to whatever they hit. They latch onto a cell membrane or blood vessel lining and create constant inflammation, eventually leading to damage. Therefore, an antioxidant is clinically defined as “an enzyme or other organic molecule that can counteract the damaging effects of oxygen in tissuesâ€. Oxidants, are introduced to the body through external sources like pollution and the sun, and through unhealthy substances like fatty foods, cigarette smoke, alcoholic beverages, etc. Most dietary antioxidants come in the form of polyphenols from plant foods that we eat. More and more nutritional data point to polyphenols as supernutrients that help the body stay healthy. So eat your fruits and vegetables!