Much has been said about the advantages of antioxidants but did you know that they are able to help fight a number of diseases and conditions and all this from something found in plants. 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. To date, scientists have managed to index almost a 1,000 of these unusual compounds; more are being discovered all the time and the whole area of nutrition and preventative health care is opening up. 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.

Blueberries contain an array of antioxidants whilst having a lower natural sugar content than many other fruits you can care to mention. Often the easiest way for people to take fruit is in juice form which are readily available all year round; many benefits have been found including an improvement in our circulatory system and an increase in our own ability to ward of illness. Antioxidants contained in these fruits can also help ward off and fight disease and infections we may suffer from. The old saying about an apple-a-day couldn't be truer with evidence that they can help prevent the chance of heart conditions occurring.

The likes of many citrus fruits also have health benefits associated with the phytochemicals they contain. The particular combination of properties found in tart cherries offers an anti-inflammatory benefit, which is appreciated by those suffering from joint pain caused by arthritis, gout, fibromyalgia or over-exertion. 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.

These amazing compounds seem to benefit the elderly with many properties that help reduce conditions found in aging like Alzheimer's, heart disease, blood pressure and stoke. The benefit of tomatoes has been in the news recently with the hopes that it contains anti-cancer properties as well as those that can help prevent heart disease. Although quite large quantities are needed so using tomato juice, puree or sauce which are all concentrates has been found to be the best way to increase the level of the antioxidants in our food. More recently the refreshing watermelon has been discovered to contain some of the most beneficial phytonutrients yet seen. There is no longer any reason to neglect fruit form your diet as it could literally save your life.