Antioxidants

Raise your hand if you like wrinkles.  Raise your hand if you like heart disease.  Raise your hand if you like things like cancer, macular degeneration, arthritis, dementia, diabetes or asthma.  I assume no one is reading this with their hands raised because these things are all awful!  And while not all of these things are totally preventable, there IS something that we can do to help avoid or lessen them.  This disease fighter is called an antioxidant.  And unless you’ve been hiding from commercials, grocery store shelves or media recently, you’ve probably heard of them.  But what in the world are they?!!  Here is my best attempt to help you understand these powerful little things.

 

Our bodies use oxygen to live.  But the crumby thing is that this processing of oxygen creates an unwanted by-product.  We call these by-products free radicals.  And left to their own devices….these little boogers cause lots of damage to our bodies.  They cause chain reactions in our cells and can cause cells to change.  Antioxidants are things that stop this process.  They are the free radical terminators.  They do this by letting themselves be oxidized.  Make sense?  Good!

Antioxidants can be found in lots of places.  They are the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients found naturally in foods and help to battle those pesky free radicals.  Common sources of antioxidants are vitamin A, C, E, carotenoids, selenium, flavonoids, polyphenols, lycopene, lutein and lignin.  Here is a list of foods that contain tons of antioxidants:
• BERRIES – Blueberries, blackberries and cranberries have the highest amount of antioxidants.  Raspberries and strawberries are also high.
• BRIGHT FRUITS – Cantaloupe, peaches, apricots, oranges, limes, purple grapes, pomegranate and pink grapefruit all are great sources of antioxidants.
• BRIGHT VEGGIES – Think carrots, tomatoes, squash, kale, brussels sprouts, spinach, artichokes, asparagus and watercress.
• GRAINS – They aren’t quite as high as the others…but you can find antioxidants in whole wheat and multigrain bread, flour, pasta and other products. Other whole grains, such as barley, millet, oats and corn, are a good sources as well.
• LEGUMES – Lentils, soybeans, split peas, and pinto beans all contain useful amounts of antioxidants.
• DRINKS – Green tea, coffee and red wine also have good antioxidants in them!

So there you have it!  Eat these things and LOTS of them and punch free radicals in the face! J  

 

 

Have a wonderful week!!!