Antioxidants

~ Your Complete Guide ~

Antioxidants ~ Natures Super Foods

We're all on a quest for the elixir of life.

Something to fight cancer, prevent heart disease, keep our skin looking young and head off the brain drain that comes with aging.

Well, we say to look no further than your local farmer’s market or grocery store, where you can find the fruits, vegetables and even treats (chocolate!) that are high in disease-fighting antioxidants.

We've compiled this information so that you can find out which foods you should be eating, along with 40 easy, delicious ways to add more to your diet.

But first, it's helpful to know...

How They Work

You always hear doctors (and cosmetics companies) talking about the importance of free-radicals beaters.

But what do these molecules really do?

In a nutshell, antioxidants shield our cells from the damage of free radicals.

To understand how they work, think about peeled potatoes and sliced apples.

If you leave them on the counter for several minutes, they turn an unappealing shade of brown.

That’s because when you cut the apple or potato, you exposed the inner flesh to air, allowing oxygen to react with chemicals found under the skin.

Sprinkle on some antioxidants in the form of orange or lemon juice, and you won’t have this unappetizing problem.

The vitamin-C in the juice is an antioxidant, a compound that combats oxidation and prevents cellular damage.

The same scenario can be found in your body.

Pollution, toxins, smoking, and normal metabolism create those damaging free radicals, which are highly reactive molecules ready to pounce on any nearby molecule including proteins and DNA.

Luckily, natural protection from the foods we eat can protect our DNA and other molecules by stabilizing these free radicals before they have a chance to strike.

By eating fruits, vegetables and other antioxidant-rich foods every day, you are increasing your body’s availability of molecules that can react with those free radicals.

Push the salad bowl away and you’re setting yourself up for chronic disease and premature signs of aging.

Some are familiar, others not.

Perhaps the most commonly recognized are vitamin-C, vitamin-E, beta-carotene (the plant form of vitamin-A), and the mineral selenium.

Others such as lycopene (found in tomatoes), lutein (green leafy vegetables), ellagic acid (berries), resveratrol (grapes) and anthocyanins (blueberries and pomegranate) may be less known, but they are just as important.

These are phytochemicals – plant chemicals – that protect the host plant from infections and give them their distinctive colors.

Over-Achievers

Many foods contain antioxidant properties, but a few give you the most disease-fighting bang for your bite.

These all-stars include: berries, walnuts, pomegranate juice and grape juice, unsweetened baking chocolate, brewed tea and coffee, red wine, artichokes, dried beans, dried cloves, cherries, acai fruit, cabbage, spinach, and many other fruits, vegetables and spices.

Getting the recommended 4 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables daily will go a long way toward your quota of antioxidants and other nutrients.

You don’t have to munch carrots and raw broccoli from dawn to dusk, but you do need to start thinking about fruits and veggies long before dinner.

Four and a half cups – equal to nine servings – may sound like a lot, but don’t throw in the dishtowel yet.

Here are 40 easy ways to boost your antioxidant intake.

#~1. A small glass of 100% fruit juice is the perfect energizing start to your day.

Vary your juices to balance your nutrient intake.

Try the usual orange and grapefruit juice and the not-so-usual pomegranate and blueberry.

#~2. Top eggs with your favorite store-bought salsa.

#~3. Add sautéed mushrooms, onions, red and yellow bell peppers, or tomatoes to omelets.

#~4. Slice peaches, bananas, strawberries, or other fresh fruit onto your cereal.

#~5. Mix dried cranberries or raisins into your oatmeal.

#~6. Toss frozen fruit, low-fat yogurt and nutmeg or sweetener in a blender for a quick out-the-door breakfast smoothie.

#~7. Thread some pineapple, nectarines, bell peppers, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes in with your chicken or steak kabobs.

#~8. Add canned or frozen vegetables to soups.

#~9. Build your own veggie pizza.

Top a plain cheese pie with spinach, fresh herbs like basil and tarragon, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, or small pineapple cubes.

#~10. Use spaghetti squash in place of pasta.

#~11. Add zucchini, green beans or eggplant to your favorite jarred spaghetti sauce.

#~12. Pack pasta and potato salads with extra veggies.

Be colorful and toss in broccoli, red bell peppers, carrots, and purple onion.

#~13. Perk up a dull green salad with nuts, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, pomegranate seeds, apple slices, red beans, or jarred artichokes.

#~14. One to two days a week, wash, chop and separate raw veggies into plastic bags.

You’ll have carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, celery, zucchini, and more antioxidant-packed foods readily available to toss into salads or add to casseroles.

#~15. Sneak in some extra beans.

For example, thicken traditional chili or a favorite soup with a can of mashed white beans.

No one will know they’re there.

#~16. Top nachos with kidney beans.

#~17. Mix apples, grapes and walnuts in your chicken salad.

Try white beans and diced carrots in tuna salad.

#~18. Add fresh herbs to salads.

When using them in hot food, add them toward the end of cooking.

Snacks

#~20. Put individual servings of grapes, cherries or raw veggies into small plastic bags.

Keep them at eye level in the refrigerator, not tucked behind the leftover takeout.

Grabbing a high-fiber, antioxidant-packed snack should be as easy as grabbing a bag of chips.

#~21. Mix berries and nuts into nonfat yogurt.

#~22. Keep an old breath mint tin filled with nuts.

Pull it out when you’re stuck in traffic and in need of an energy boost.

#~23. Add a variety of dried fruit to trail mix.

Out and About

#~24. In restaurants, start your meal with a vegetable or bean soup or a colorful mixed salad.

#~25. Swap the fries for a side salad or steamed vegetables.

#~26. Ask for extra veggies on sandwiches.

#~27. Bring five pieces of fruit to work every Monday for a different snack each day of the week.

#~28. If you’re unexpectedly out at lunchtime, run by the grocery store instead of the drive-through.

Pick up a prepared salad and piece of fruit.

(See related article: Salad-Bars ~ Survival Tips)

Sip Your Antioxidants

#~29. Drink brewed black or green tea.

Tea is our best source of a class of compounds called catechins, which are potent antioxidants.

Green tea tea contains three times the catechins as black tea.

Brew it up at home; bottled tea doesn’t offer the same health benefits.

#~30. Sip on vegetable juice, plain or with some hot sauce for extra kick.

I've mentioned that in many of our Newsletters.

#~31. Spice up your hot tea with antioxidant-rich ground cloves and cinnamon.

#~32. Enjoy a glass of red wine.

Some scientists credit resveratrol for these positive effects.

Moderate drinking is defined as no more than one drink per day for women, two per day for men.

#~33. Have a mug of brewed coffee as your early morning or midday energizer.

Be careful what you put in it, though.

Those lattes and mochas can turn coffee into a sugar and fat fest.

#~34. Opt for one of these antioxidant-rich juices:

Acai-fruit, grape, pomegranate, cranberry, pineapple, and orange.

Or mix and match them for your own unique blend.

Sweet Treats

#~35. Skewer some fresh berries, grapes and peach slices for a fun dessert.

#~36. Top ice cream with berries or pomegranate seeds.

37. Freeze fresh grapes for a delicious, all-natural frozen dessert.

38. For a sophisticated dessert that does antioxidant double duty, dip strawberries, pineapple cubes, and sliced apples and bananas into a dark chocolate fondue.

#~39. Make ice-pops from any 100% fruit juice.

#~40. Indulge in small amounts of dark chocolate or cocoa without guilt.

Like tea, chocolate and cocoa contain catechins.

Research suggests that chocolate may help prevent the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, thus improving your risk for cardiovascular disease.

So now you're up to date on the hero's of anti-aging, the free radical fighters.

Live Longer & Live Younger.

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For more great information on Anti-aging, check out;

ANTIOXIDANT NUTRITION is the primary chemical line of defense against the negative impact of free radical damage. Not only will antioxidants protect against free radicals, they will also help repair cells already impacted by free radical damage. The simplest way to maximize antioxidant levels is to follow a diet high in antioxidant nutrition!

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