Tomatoes are rich in antioxidant lycopene and protect our skin from sun damage
Antioxidants have gained a lot of attention and praise in the last few years. Antioxidants as the name suggests, fight off oxidants. This means, foods rich in antioxidants help fight off toxins and other external radicals found in the body.
Eating an antioxidant-rich diet provides us with various health benefits. The weather around us also has a crucial role to play in the effectiveness and importance of the foods we eat. In this article, we discuss why we must add antioxidant-rich foods to our summer diet.
Here's why you need to add antioxidants to your summer diet:
1. Protects against the sun
The negative effects of the sun's UV rays are heightened during summer. Foods rich in antioxidants help put a shield over your body to protect it from damage. Antioxidant-rich foods may also help clear out external radicals from one's body and help detox the body.
2. Protects the hair
The hot summer weather along with the sun's harmful UV rays can significantly degrade the quality o your hair. Eating an antioxidant-rich diet can help protect your hair. Antioxidants can help slow down greying of hair, frizz, dryness, and many other hair issues.
3. Improves skin health
Antioxidants are known for their many benefits on our skin. For example, antioxidant lycopene found in tomatoes has exceptional qualities. Lycopene is responsible for providing tomatoes with their bright red colour. This pigment helps protects tomatoes from any damage that the sun's rays might cause. Upon consumption, lycopene may also help protect our skin. The harmful UV rays can otherwise cause wrinkles, fine lines, tanning, hyperpigmentation, and so on.
4. Anti-ageing properties
As discussed above, the environment around us can cause greying of hair and fasten wrinkles. The sun's rays, pollution, dust, and various components of our environment may cause premature greying of hair along with wrinkles and fine lines. Eating foods rich in antioxidants can help you slowdown ageing.
5. Fight off pathogens
Eating a diet rich in antioxidants and other nutrients helps build immunity against notorious pathogens and other issues. Antioxidants help protect the body from viruses, bacteria, and other organisms that might attack our bodies.
6. Versatile
Diet in summer is all about water and refreshing foods. Most foods rich in antioxidants are abundant in water and are very refreshing. These foods are also versatile to cook and can be incorporated into your daily summer diet. Some of the examples are sweet and savoury yogurt, dark chocolate, and so on.
7. Reduces inflammation
Inflammation is one of the most common allergic reactions caused in the body. Antioxidants have been proven to possess anti-inflammatory properties. Antioxidants may also help fasten allergic recoveries, etc.
In conclusion, there are various benefits of adding antioxidants to your diet. They not only protect overall health but also improve our health. Eating and drinking antioxidant-rich foods can ensure you stay protected as well as hydrated this summer.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.