Antioxidants are damage defenders that helps in slow skin ageing—and they deserve a place in your routine.
Antioxidants protects the skin by reducing free radical production, which can damage and aged the skin. With daily use, they can reduce lentigines (sun spots), helps in reducing visible signs of ageing and calm skin inflammations. Several antioxidants provide the skin with hydration and increase moisture retention to help revitalize dull skin.
Our bodies naturally produce free radicals, but they can also come in exposure to environmental factors like UV rays, pollution, cigarette smoke and other chemicals involved in food items we eat regularly and you see these effects as fine lines, wrinkles, loose skin, acne breakouts and a blotchy skin tone.
Once an overload of free radicals is present in our system, it causes oxidative stress, or an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract or detoxify their harmful effects.
Some valued studies shows that the inclusion of antioxidants in your skin care regimen can help your skin fight free radical damage and recover from oxidative stress.
There are few food items that one can include in his/ her routine for good intake of antioxidants. They are as follows: –
• Vitamin C rich fruits like berries, oranges, grapes, lemon, guava.
• Vegetables like broccoli, spinach, carrots and potatoes, cabbage, asparagus, avocados, beetroot, radish, lettuce, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, collard greens and kale etc.
• Dark chocolate
• Green tea
• Dried fruit generally contains a lot of fibre and is a great source of antioxidants, especially polyphenols. Polyphenol antioxidants are associated with health benefits such as improved blood flow, better digestive health, decreased oxidative damage and reduced risk of many diseases. Dry fruits like raisins, figs, prunes, dates
• Spices rich in antioxidants: – like ginger, turmeric, ajwain (carom seeds), clove, chilli pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel and many more.
