We are moving towards longer and brighter days. Although it is good that the sun is starting to peek out again, we sometimes feel out of energy, and our skin can be dry, red and irritated after a long winter. This article gives you some simple tips on how to easily get rid of winter fatigue and dull dry skin with natural antioxidants.
What are antioxidants?
Antioxidants are natural substances or man-made, that may protect against cell damage. Some antioxidants are made by our body, while other substances we need to supply with through diet, such as vitamin-E also called tocopherol, vitamin-A (β-carotene) and vitamin-C (ascorbic acid).
What are antioxidants good for?
Every day we are exposed to stress, pollution, sunlight and often lack of enough sleep, which increases the amount of harmful substances in our body, also known as free radicals. Free radicals are unstable atoms that can damage cells, causing illness and ageing.
What do antioxidants do in our bodies?
Antioxidants help neutralise harmful compounds and repair cell damage caused by free radicals. Antioxidants, therefore, act as the body’s internal defence system against damage from free radicals.
As we are more exposed to an increasing number of free radicals in our daily lives, through society and the environment, antioxidants are becoming more and more important to us. It is therefore important to get enough antioxidants every day so our cells can continue to perform miracles.
Which antioxidants are best?
There are many different antioxidants. Antioxidants are found naturally in the body’s cells in the form of various enzymes. Other antioxidants must be supplied through diet, such as bioflavonoids, carotenoids, vitamin-E and vitamin-C. Research indicates that it is the variety and combination of natural antioxidants that provide the best protection.
Berries full of antioxidants from Northern Norway
Compared to cultivated berries, wild berries contain on average 3-5 times more antioxidants and best of all, they are not exposed to pesticides. The antioxidant content comes from vitamin-E, vitamin-C, carotenoids and various pigments found in these wild berries.
Blueberries are a type of berry known for their beneficial health properties. Nordic blueberries contain plant pigments and anthocyanins. Together with other phenolic components, they have the ability to inhibit free radicals. Research confirms that blueberries are one of the berries with the highest concentration of antioxidants (Halvorsen, Holte, Myhrstad, Barikmo, Hvattum, Remberg, Wold, Haffner, Baugerød, Andersen, Moskaug, Jacobs & Blomhoff, 2002).
A study carried out by NIBIO documented that the berries in northern Norway contain a higher concentration of antioxidants, compared to corresponding berries picked in the southern areas (NIBIO report, 2018). The untouched, clean nature with low temperatures and midnight sun, has a beneficial effect on the berries. In addition, wild berries from northern Norway have a stronger and sweeter taste than similar berries picked elsewhere in the country.
Instead of using artificial colours and flavours in our gummy vitamins, we use raw juice from wild berries. The raw juice from these wild berries adds natural antioxidants, a wonderful natural flavour and a beautiful natural colour. Sign up for the newsletter today and get 15% off your first order.
Reference:
Halvorsen, B.L., Holte, K., Myhrstad, M.C.W., Barikmo, I., Hvattum, E., Remberg, S. F., Wold, A-B., Haffner, K., Baugerød, H., Andersen, L. F., Moskaug, J.Ø., Jacobs, D.R. & Blomhoff, R. (2002) A systematic Screening of total antioxidants in dietary plants. Journal of Nutrition. 132. 461-471.
Nibio rapport, (2018) Arktisk kvalitet, En beskrivelse av nordlige natur‐ og klimaforhold og virkning på egenskaper hos nordnorske matprodukter.
