To achieve maximum stability, free radicals therefore steal electrons from other molecules around them and in so doing, destroy the cell membranes and weaken the cell. Free radicals cause a chain reaction of "electron stealing" because the minute they start taking away electrons from other molecules, those molecules become free radicals themselves. However, raspberries, cranberries, blueberries, and blackberries are also good antioxidant foods that are rich in proanthocyanidins which help prevent cancer and heart disease. Broccoli Another excellent antioxidant foods are green leafy vegetables. Your mom always say, "Eat your broccoli." Believe me, your mom is not out to torture you by making you eat veggies you hate. Consuming lots of antioxidant fruits in your diet will help boost the body's defense against free radicals and oxidative stress (damage caused by free radicals). Oxidative stress is a process which many a scientist has linked with the development of chronic and degenerative diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Because atoms seek to reach a state of maximum stability, an atom will try to fill its shell with electrons by: Gaining or losing electrons to either fill or empty its outer shell Sharing its electrons by bonding together with other atoms in order to complete its outer shell Free Radicals: The Formation The free radicals are formed when weak bonds between atoms are split. All these nutrients come from the food you eat, but they may also be available as supplements in the form of pills or capsules. Some antioxidant antiaging you might have heard of include: Vitamin A Vitamin B-6 Vitamin B-12 Vitamin C Vitamin E Beta carotene Folic acid Selenium All these antioxidant antiaging can be found in the food that you eat everyday. We've been eating them for centuries and it's only now that scientists are beginning to discover exactly what makes them healthy for the body. Antioxidants. What exactly are they? The term is familiar to us. We hear them mentioned all the time whenever there's a new scientific study being released in the American Health Journal or some such explaining how antioxidant juice from berries can aid in liver function or how antioxidant juice from red wine is the scientific reason behind the French paradox.