Before going to antioxidants, it is important to know about free radicals. Whenever food we take and it breaks downs in the body. You are exposing to harmful environmental things like tobacco smoke and radiation caused due to the x-rays, ultra-violet radiation and pollution. Free radicals which are highly unstable due to unpaired electrons that are formed in the body which can damage cells, proteins and other ones and plays a major role in heart disease, cancer disease and other diseases. You cannot avoid damage due to free radicals because they are generated both inside and outside your body.
Antioxidants are nutrients that contain both vitamins and minerals as well as enzymes called proteins in your body that assist in chemical reactions and antioxidants are naturally occurring chemicals in foods that help to counter the detrimental effects of oxygen free radicals, which are formed during normal metabolism. Antioxidants are the compounds which play a major role in preventing the diseases like cancer, heart diseases, rheumatoid disease, cataracts, stokes, aging and other diseases. It can fight against the free radicals produced by oxygen or external and internal parts of your body and prevents the cell damages and other diseases. It can reduce the harmful effect by being together with these free radicals and thus reducing their destructive power.
Even if some damage also caused, there is no matter of worrying because by taking antioxidant substances in your food can resolve some of your problems to some extent.
No need to worry about how to get antioxidants. These are available from natural sources like plants and animals. Some of the antioxidant substances are beta-carotene, lutein, leuycopene, selenium, Vitamin A, C and E.