Unlocking the Power of Antioxidants in Foods & Supplements

As you go about your day and even while you’re reading this article, your body is constantly creating something called free radicals. These little free radicals are naturally produced by our body, but luckily there is something to help neutralize free radicals—antioxidants!* Keep reading to learn more about what antioxidants do, which vitamins are antioxidants, and how to get more antioxidants from food or supplements.

What are antioxidants and what do antioxidants do for you?

Antioxidants help fight free radicals.* Because our body is constantly creating free radicals as a by-product of daily living, it also means we need a daily supply of antioxidants to help neutralize them.* Thankfully there’s not just one antioxidant, there are many different antioxidants—some produced by our own body and others are essential vitamins we have to get from food or supplements.

What are free radicals in the body?

To get into the science of it, free radicals are missing an electron (remember those from your high school chemistry days?). Because they are missing an electron, they will steal an electron from the closest molecule, but then that molecule will be short an electron and will have to steal it from somewhere else.

This creates a domino-like effect of electron hot potato that can impact anything that’s close by. Antioxidants have an extra electron to spare, so they act like a wall to stop the dominos from falling by giving up their extra electron to whatever needs it.

What foods are high in antioxidants?

Plant-based foods are high in antioxidants, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Keep reading to learn about food sources of specific antioxidants.

Which vitamins and nutrients are antioxidants?

There are many antioxidant vitamins and nutrients, let’s highlight a few:

• Vitamin C: Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant and supports the immune system.* Our bodies can’t make vitamin C so we must get it from food or supplements. Many people know it’s found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and grapefruits, but it’s also found in a wide variety of vegetables and fruits! Great sources of vitamin C include strawberries, potatoes, red pepper, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and bok choy.
• Vitamin E: Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant. You can find vitamin E in supplements and foods such as vegetable oils, nuts, and vegetables like spinach and broccoli.
• Beta-carotene: Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that your body can convert into vitamin A. You can find beta-carotene in vegetables like carrots, spinach, red peppers, and sweet potatoes, as well as fruits like cantaloupe and mangoes. You can also find beta-carotene in supplements.

Are there antioxidant supplements?

Yes! There are several different antioxidant supplements. vitafusion offers many delicious gummy antioxidant vitamin options, including:

• power C: Each 2 gummy serving is rich in vitamin C with a delicious tangy orange flavor for immune support.*
• extra strength power C: With a delightful tropical citrus flavor, every serving has high potency antioxidant vitamin C for immune support.*
• multis: You can find vitamin E in vitafusion multis including multivites, women’s multivitamin, mens’ multivitamin, men’s 50+ multi, women’s 50+ multi, and multi+energy*!

Reaping the Benefits of Antioxidants

Antioxidants play an important role in supporting health by helping to neutralize free radicals.* Eating a colorful variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds helps you consume antioxidants, and you can also enjoy delicious gummy antioxidant vitamins for an extra boost. Vitafusion offers several delicious gummy options so you can feel confident knowing you're supporting your overall health and well-being from the inside out!*

Brought to you by the vitafusion™ nutrition experts.