Antioxidants

Antioxidants: What are they?

Antioxidants are all the rage today. And justifiably so. Antioxidants tend to be most plentiful in plant foods (although there are exceptions, such as wild salmon). Often the antioxidants are the pigments that give fruit and vegetables their color. It's one of nature's great synergies that these colorful chemicals serve not only the plant but also humans who eat the plant. It seems everywhere you go, it's blueberry this and blueberry that. You have your choice of wild blueberry juice, blueberry-pomegranate juice, blueberry-cranberry juice, and so on and so on. To understand why antioxidants are so crucial for good health, we first need to see how some other chemicals known as free radicals affect you.

Cell-Damaging Free Radicals

Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that travel around the body, attracting and binding to other molecules. This starts a descriptive chain reaction, turning any molecule they come in contact with into an unstable free radical. Free radicals cause damage to proteins, DNA, and other cells throughout the body. When free radicals accumulate, oxidate stress occurs, which is associated with the development of chronic diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, heart disease, inflammatory condition, dementia, and many more.

What Are Foods High In Antioxidants?

For starters, there are artichoke hearts, blackberries, prunes, pecans, spinach, kale, russet potatoes, and plums. The truth is, there are many common foods high in antioxidants and you should not just restrict yourself to one particular food source.

Why? Well, have you ever heard of the expression "eat your colors?' That refers to the fact that foods are in different floor "families" containing different types of antioxidants which have different benefits. For example, the yellow-orange color family of peaches and nectarines help our immune systems. The purple-red color family of foods (pomegranates, plums, berries) helps reduce inflammation. It's important to eat foods from all color groups to reap the full benefits of antioxidants.

The good news is that you can healthy foods high in antioxidants (by eating them raw, cooking them, or juicing them yourself) without having to pay a high price for the "flavor of the month" antioxidant juices being peddled in the supermarkets.

5 Ways to Get More Antioxidants into Your Diet

1. Breakfast:

Throw some strawberries, 100% juice, and yogurt into a blender, pour your delicious mixture into a cup, and head out the door. You've just added one to three servings of fruits to your daily intake. or throw some berries onto your color or hot cereal.

2. Snacks

Here’s an easy way to get more antioxidants in your diet. How about a handful of raisins for a snack or some fresh red grapes?

Dip some strawberries in yogurt. You’ll feel decadent, but the berries provide the color you’re looking for. Need crunch? How about some baby carrots dipped in hummus? Consider a handful of pecans for crunch and a nice antioxidant boost.

3. Lunch and Dinner

Adding a salad to each of your main daily meals can add loads to your overall health and well-being. They don’t have to be boring, and they don’t have to be just salad greens. If you’re going classic, add some red pepper slices to your green salad, some tomatoes to the Greek salad, or tart cranberries to your field greens. Whip up a broccoli salad for lunch, or be adventurous and mix up a rice salad with a mélange of fresh vegetables like string beans, tomatoes, peppers, and red onions.

4. Dessert

Berries, with or without whipped cream or chocolate are a wonderful way to end your day of healthy, antioxidant-rich eating.

5. Beverages

Replace your soda with tea or coffee, both of which boast antioxidant compounds. Have a glass of wine with dinner, or for a real change of pace, pour a glass of chai tea.

So, give your blueberries some company at the dinner table. Invite some beans, spinach, potatoes, and artichoke hearts, and enjoy your antioxidants.