What exactly are antioxidants?

First we should explain “what is oxidation in the body?”. This is the process where during normal cell metabolism, highly reactive compounds called Oxygen Free Radicals are created. They travel through cells, disrupting the structure of other molecules, causing cell damage. Every day, the cells in our body wage a battle against these free radicals that are believed to contribute to cancer, heart desease, the effects of aging, and more. The job of the antioxidant therefore is protect components of a cell from oxidative damage. Antioxidants scavange free radicals, convert them to harmless substances, absorb them or attach to them before the free radicals can attack normal tissues, destroy cellular proteins or enzymes, or even cause DNA mutations leading to cancer.

How many antioxidants should we be consuming daily?

The USDA researchers suggest a daily intake of a minimum of 3,500 antioxidant points. The average person consumes about 1,400 antioxidant points daily. There is a huge gap between what we should be consuming and what we are actually consuming.

Are Berry Bites a replacement for Fruits and Vegetables for my kids?

EAT FRUIT. You get many more good things out of fruits and vegetables than just their antioxidant value (fiber, vitamins, minerals, etc.) but Berry Bites are a great addition or supplement to your diet. They are welcomed (sometimes begged for!) by kids, easy to eat and carry around (when a head of broccoli just won't fit in your purse), and you will feel better knowing that the treat you are eating actually has significant health benefits.

The ingredients in Berry Bites were used in studies by Dr. David Bell of Indiana School of Medicine to determine positive effects of the cardiovascular system, and by Dr. Elliot Blumenthal of Purdue to study antiviral effects and immune-enhancing activity. More studies are continuing at other major research centers.

Check out our definitions page for the definitions to all those scientific words we use here.