| You belong to the brightest, most gifted generation of | | | | stress can generate free radicals. |
| students in decades, and, as a group, you're poised to | | | | Antioxidants to the Rescue |
| make some real, positive changes for your own lives, | | | | Antioxidants are vitamins, minerals and enzymes from |
| your communities and the entire country. You want to | | | | food that help prevent the dangerous oxidation |
| be healthy, and know what being healthy entails, but | | | | process in your body. But that's not all. According to |
| being a student is no easy job. | | | | the American Dietetic Association, antioxidants may |
| Between writing research papers, studying for final | | | | also decrease your risk of: |
| exams and joining clubs with friends, making sure | | | | Infection |
| you're eating a healthy diet is likely the last thing on | | | | Heart disease |
| your mind. But with STUDENT FORMULA's 'Be Smart, | | | | Cancer |
| Be Healthy, Be Natural' e-news, you'll get regular | | | | At the same time, they boost the function of your |
| reminders of just how important good nutrition can be. | | | | immune system, which helps you to fight off disease. |
| Antioxidants: Are You Getting Enough? | | | | Students, as you know, are busy, so many are not |
| Before we get into whether or not you're getting | | | | taking the time to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, |
| enough antioxidants in your daily meals, it's important to | | | | which is the key way to get antioxidants. Instead, a |
| know what antioxidants are. As you may or may not | | | | recent study found that coffee was the biggest |
| already know, antioxidants are great to have in your | | | | source of antioxidants (per serving and level of |
| body because they fight free radicals. | | | | consumption) in Americans' diets. But a big cup of 'Joe,' |
| Free radicals are the bad guys--they're usually in the | | | | while, yes, providing some antioxidants, simply cannot |
| form of an oxygen molecule that wants to be | | | | give you the nutritional boost that a big bowl of fresh |
| oxidized. This oxidation process (think rust forming on | | | | veggies can. |
| your car) can harm your body's cells and even be | | | | Meanwhile, a hectic, on-the-go lifestyle filled with |
| carcinogenic. If left unchecked, free radicals will wreak | | | | late-night study sessions, parties and not enough rest is |
| havoc on your system, including damaging: | | | | enough to create more than a handful of free radicals |
| Cell walls | | | | in your body. |
| Cell structures | | | | While there is no set rule for how many antioxidants |
| Genetic material inside your cells | | | | you should consume, if you're not eating a lot of fresh |
| Over time, this damage can and does lead to disease | | | | fruits and vegetables--but are eating a lot of |
| and aging. | | | | processed food--there's a good chance you're lacking |
| Where do these free radicals come from? Some are | | | | in these healthy molecules. |
| produced naturally in your body but other | | | | The best way to get more is to fortify your meals |
| environmental factors, like exposure to cigarette | | | | with fruits and veggies. |
| smoke and radiation, also contribute. Even being under | | | | |