The term antioxidant refers to a group of compounds found in everyday substances like plants which have health giving benefits to help fight disease. Found in various forms in fruits and vegetables, they contain nutrients that work with our own nutrients to combat many common but serious illnesses in addition to disease. Although only nine hundred if these phytonutrients have been discovered so far it is the scientist opinion that many more will be found and will change tomorrows health care needs,with these discoveries (and more to come), scientists believe the face of health care is changing, hopefully forever. There has been a whole host of discoveries made into the properties of these phytonutrients,cherries for instance are able to reduce the pain in joints and blueberries have anti-aging properties.

Containing less sugar than most fruits, the blueberry can also boast a number of other antioxidant properties too. Often the easiest way for people to take fruit is in juice form which are readily available all year round,some of the many benefits have been improvements in the body’s capacity to heal itself and benefits to circulation. Not content with helping to prevent illness, these antioxidants also help fight disease and infection. Now the focus has shifted towards apples which have an effect on the probability of coronary diseases.
Now citrus fruits too are showing that they have a use with a number of beneficial phytochemicals contained in them. Anti-inflammatory agents contained in tart cherries are proving beneficial for those with joint pain like arthritis and gout. Of course we already now about the benefits of certain vitamins and minerals, which have been available for some time. Another antioxidant is resveratrol has many infection and viral prevention properties and is found in the likes of blackberries, mulberries but more highly in blueberries.
Many aging conditions benefit from the use of these compounds including, strokes, heart conditions and Alzheimer’s. The humble tomato has also been under scrutiny with benefits it has guarding against certain cancers and heart problems. However, it is now recognized that the best way to receive a sufficient quantity of the antioxidants contained in a tomato is by having it as a puree in a dish using tomato sauce or as a juice. Some of the most important phytonutrients so far found have been discovered in watermelons. We are told to eat more fruit and now there is a very good scientific reason to do this.