5 Myths About Antioxidants

Antioxidants are all the rage and for good reason! Fruits, vegetables, and grains all contain different levels of antioxidants, which help neutralize free radicals that can cause damage to cells, including DNA, proteins, and cell membranes. Exactly how antioxidants function and the benefits they cause can be complicated and involves various chemical processes, but the important thing is that they are extremely beneficial to our overall health. However, possibly due to how complicated phytochemicals (plant chemicals) and antioxidants are, some myths surrounding antioxidants have crept up.

At vYv, we offer a CBD and Resveratrol supplement to help you get as many antioxidant benefits as possible. Resveratrol is a type of phenol and phytoalexin that naturally occurs in some plants and is used in response to injury or attack. The plant compound acts like an antioxidant, and there are many benefits of resveratrol that the body can reap. When combined with the benefits of CBD, vYv offers one powerful natural supplement. In an effort to ensure our customers get the full experience, we wanted to address some of the myths and misunderstandings about antioxidants and their benefits.

5 Common Myths Surrounding Antioxidants

You Can Get the Same Benefits From Supplements as Foods High in Antioxidants

A supplement is just that, something that enhances, completes, or supplements something else. In an ideal world, we would all have time to prepare every single meal using fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. In an ideal world, we would get all of the vitamins and minerals we need naturally. However, because life is busy and we don’t always have time to eat how we should, some of us rely on a supplement to complete a whole and healthy diet and fill in any nutritional gaps. 

However, there have been some studies done that show supplements don’t offer the same benefits as the foods we consume. Because the chemical processes that occur when we consume whole fruits and vegetables can’t be replicated, a supplement can only do so much. So while it is ideal to get essential vitamins and minerals directly from the food we consume, in a pinch, a natural supplement may be better than leaving nutritional gaps in your diet.

Free Radicals Are Nothing But Bad

It’s true that free radicals are highly reactive and can cause serious cell damage that has been linked to conditions like heart disease, Parkinson’s, cancer, and premature aging. However, the process of free radicals looking for other unpaired electrons is occurring all of the time within our bodies, and can actually be a necessary process. In the case of bacteria, immune cells will use free radicals to kill the bacteria, protecting our body from infections. The problem occurs when there are too many free radicals.

As we age, our bodies lose the ability to neutralize free radicals, which often means that there are more of them. Free radicals can also produce due to environmental factors like pollutants, cigarette smoke, and sun exposure. So whether through the natural aging process or the environment, too many free radicals can overwhelm the normal antioxidant defensive process, ultimately leading to cell damage and disease. So, if you smoke or spend a lot of time in the sun, make sure you’re eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables, and supplement with a resveratrol supplement from vYv.

All Antioxidants Are the Same

When you eat an apple at lunch, a handful of pecans for a snack, and a bowl of chili with pinto beans for dinner, you’re consuming a variety of antioxidants with each meal that all provide a range of benefits. Technically, any molecule that protects cells from oxidation is an anti-oxidant. And antioxidants come from vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, polyphenols, carotenoids, and thousands of other plant chemicals (more than 4,000 in fact).

If you want to reap the benefits of the antioxidant properties from vitamin E, which include helping to prevent cancer, aging, arthritis, and cataracts, taking all of the vitamin E in the world won’t substitute for not getting any vitamin C. Some antioxidants are better at providing certain benefits than others, and some are able to neutralize certain types of free radicals better than others. It’s all about consuming a wide range of antioxidants in order to protect your body from a range of diseases and conditions.

Only Fruits and Vegetables Contain Antioxidants

While many of the foods rich in antioxidants are fruits and vegetables, they are far from the only plants that contain antioxidants. Beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains also contain high amounts of antioxidants. In fact, anything edible that has grown from the ground contains some sort of antioxidant. This is because all plants produce antioxidants in order to fight predators, such as the sun. Even meat and dairy products contain antioxidants; however, they are mainly from the plants that the animals consume. This is why it’s so important to consume meat and dairy products that have been raised on natural, plant-based food.

Antioxidant-Fortified Foods Are Healthier

Food manufacturers will do just about anything to sell their product, even if it takes adding just a small amount of vitamin C to their breakfast cereal. But the fact is that the best source for antioxidants is natural, unprocessed plants. It is possible to fortify food and drink with micronutrients like antioxidants, but if you’re drinking Cherry 7UP Antioxidant because you think you’re getting additional antioxidants that you wouldn’t have otherwise, you should probably just grab a handful of real cherries instead.

If you want to increase your daily intake of antioxidants, start with walking through the produce section at the grocery store and picking up some blueberries, artichokes, and raspberries. If you still need additional antioxidants in your diet, vYv offers a powerful resveratrol supplement that offers a variety of benefits.

Antioxidants Fight Cancer

Don’t throw away the package of blueberries you just purchased quite yet, antioxidants still provide powerful benefits. In a healthy person without cancer, this process occurs — free radicals cause cell damage, and without antioxidants, free radicals can cause DNA damage that may potentially lead to cancer. However, if a person already has cancerous cells or cells that are predisposed to becoming cancerous, it’s a little different. Some cancer treatments generate free radicals in order to stop cancer growth. Free radicals that are generated work to destroy cancerous cells, potentially causing shorter lives for those with cancer.

The truth is that antioxidants are powerful compounds that our bodies need in order to help prevent cell damage and the related conditions that stem from damaged cells. And that’s great news if you’re able to consume the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. But it can be hard to get the vitamins and minerals you need from your regular diet, especially if you’re busy and don’t have time to shop or prepare meals.

That’s where vYv and our resveratrol supplement comes in! Resveratrol is a compound with powerful antioxidant properties and is naturally found in the seeds and skins of grapes and other berries. The vYv resveratrol supplement can help improve blood flow, collagen and bone strength, it supports brain health, slows aging, and improves liver function! The supplement also contains Japanese Knotweed and CBD isolate, which also offers antioxidant benefits.

If you have a hard time getting the nutrients you need from your regular diet, shop vYv today for a natural supplement.