The Magnetic Diet - Antioxidants

Chapter Twelve: The Elements of Invigorating Magnetism

Antioxidants

In the universe of the body there exists the force. The force is the source of life and consciousness. Just as in Star Wars, the force has a light side as well as a dark side. Antioxidants are a part of the light side. They fight to protect the body from the ravages of the free radicals, dark side powers that are byproducts of energy production in the body but that grow in strength when the body suffers the contaminating effects of cigarette smoke, too much alcohol, and bad food. Even without these accelerators, the army of the free radicals can still cause plenty of harm if the antioxidants (also known as free radical scavengers) don’t keep them in check.

The free radicals do their damage by bonding with molecules in the cells and shape-shifting them into less useful forms. They often attack the lipids, molecules that form a barrier around cells to allow only certain chemicals to pass in and out. They can also sabotage the DNA, the genetic blueprint in each cell that dictates how it should function. Moreover, free radicals cause havoc to proteins, the workhorse molecules in cells many of which process food into energy.

The power of the antioxidants grows when you eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Scientists have shown that the pigments responsible for the bright colors of fruits and vegetables belong to the same class of chemicals as antioxidants and help safeguard plants from damage caused by the sun's ultraviolet rays. Those rays spur free radicals to form within plant cells. If the free radicals were to enter the plant’s cells unchecked, they would soon destroy parts of

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