| So what are they and why should you care about | | | | diet should consist of; whole grains, nuts, seeds and |
| them? We shall begin our story with Free Oxidising | | | | oily fish (vitamin E, zinc, and others) and brightly |
| Radicals. If you have had your mind numbed by | | | | colored fruit and vegetables of as many different |
| beauty product commercials you may have heard of | | | | varieties as possible (for vitamin C, A, |
| these nasties. (Here comes the science bit) Free | | | | beta-carotenes, bioflavinoids and folates). You will be |
| radicals are produced when certain molecules react | | | | pleased to know that there are also antioxidants in |
| with unstable oxygen molecules during the process of | | | | Tea (especially green tea), dark chocolate and red |
| combustion, for example during; smoking, burning of | | | | wine (hurrah), although all of these should be used |
| petrol (car exhaust fumes), frying or barbequing | | | | sparingly. The fresher your fruit and vegetables the |
| food, normal bodily processes and (Oh No) exercise. | | | | more antioxidant value, some fruit juices and |
| These free radicals can float around in our bodies | | | | supermarket vegetables when tested contain almost |
| damaging healthy cells, and are implicated in; | | | | no vitamin C- it may have been months since the |
| susceptibility to infections, ageing, cancer, heart | | | | original fruit was harvested. (It is important to note |
| disease, cataracts and macular degeneration (vision | | | | that you may see the word antioxidant on some |
| loss common in elderly people), diabetes, | | | | food packaging, sometimes with an e number |
| Hypertension (high blood pressure), infertility, arthritis, | | | | attached- you will derive no benefit from consuming |
| cognitive impairment and stroke. | | | | these). |
| All is not lost, because these dangerous chemicals can | | | | Your Antioxidant shopping list: |
| be disarmed by antioxidants which are possibly the | | | | 1. A steamer; lightly steamed vegetables will contain |
| most important nutrients that you will ever hear | | | | more nutrients than boiled. |
| about. Some of the big names are vitamins A, C and | | | | 2. A juicer; make your own fresh fruit and vegetable |
| E, as well as beta-carotenes (found in red, orange | | | | antioxidant cocktails. Try Apple, carrot, beetroot and |
| and yellow fruit and vegetables) Selenium (found in | | | | ginger- don't pull that face, it is delicious! |
| Brazil nuts) Zinc, and bioflavonoids (also from fruit and | | | | 3. Oily Fish; fresh tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines. |
| vegetables) as well as many others. If you can | | | | (Avoid all hydrogenated fats which will inhibit these |
| balance the number of free radicals entering your | | | | beneficial chemicals.) |
| body with the number of antioxidants entering your | | | | 4. Green stuff; broccoli, cabbage, peas, kiwi, |
| body then it is thought you can help your body avoid | | | | watercress, spinach, limes. |
| the diseases listed above. It is hardly surprising that | | | | 5. Yellow and orange stuff; lemons, golden linseed for |
| studies have linked high levels of antioxidants with | | | | essential fats and vitamin E(buy it ready ground or |
| longer lives, and the absence of chronic diseases. | | | | use a clean coffee grinder and make your own to |
| In studies around the world, high levels of | | | | sprinkle on cereal) peppers, mangoes, eggs, swede, |
| antioxidants were found in people over the age of | | | | turmeric (a ground spice), oranges, pumpkin and |
| 100, and elderly people with high cognitive function | | | | squash, sweet potatoes, apricots and peaches, |
| also had higher levels of antioxidants. Many other | | | | carrots. |
| research projects have linked low intake of | | | | 6. Red and purple stuff; beetroot, red cabbage, |
| antioxidants with Alzheimer's, lung cancer, heart | | | | blueberries, ALL BERRIES, blackcurrants, ruby chard, |
| attacks, cataracts, the list goes on. A large intake of | | | | beetroot tops (steam them like spinach), plumbs and |
| antioxidants is thought to lead to an enhanced quality | | | | prunes, purple sprouting, ruby grapefruit, tomatoes |
| of life and a delaying of the processes of ageing. | | | | and red peppers. |
| So now we know how great they are, how can we | | | | 7. White Stuff; Cauliflower, (rich in vitamins A and C), |
| get our hands on them? Many people boost their | | | | Brazil nuts for selenium, and a selection of other |
| intake with supplements, but these are no substitute | | | | fresh nuts and seeds- avoid cooked nuts such as |
| for a healthy diet, and provide none of the important | | | | peanuts and cashews and other salted nuts- they |
| fibre found in source-foods which will help reduce | | | | don't have the same benefits and are very fatty, |
| chances of bowel dysfunction and bowel cancers. | | | | and salty. |
| The human body is designed to derive its nutrition | | | | 8. Organic fruit and vegetables have shown in tests |
| from plant and animal matter, and there is some | | | | to have higher levels of antioxidants- between 10 and |
| uncertainty about how efficiently the body can | | | | 50% higher. Although if you are buying organic |
| absorb certain supplements, leading to what | | | | produce check the labels- if it is flown in from some |
| nutritionists call 'expensive urine.' Many supermarkets | | | | far-flung destination it is not fresh despite being |
| and companies sell bargain vitamins and supplements, | | | | organic. |
| but often the nutrients come in compounds which | | | | 9. Local and seasonal fruit and vegetables will also be |
| are not useful or readily absorbable- you get what | | | | fresher and more likely to contain higher |
| you pay for in many cases. I am not dismissing all | | | | concentrations of our favorite chemicals. |
| supplements, but care must be taken in choosing and | | | | Well I hope that you feel armed with knowledge and |
| using them. | | | | ready to do battle down the market to get the |
| Your body is capable of extracting antioxidants from | | | | freshest, healthiest and most colourful shopping. Root |
| natural whole foods, and this is a safe and healthy | | | | out the winter vegetables, roast some beetroot with |
| way of getting them into your system. To get the | | | | thyme and olive oil, buy some pumpkin and squash, |
| full complement of antioxidants you need to have a | | | | and catch the freshest apples, straight off the trees. |
| varied diet- the less foods you are prepared to eat, | | | | Until next time, |
| the fewer nutrients are available to you. To obtain an | | | | Stay healthy, |
| optimum amount of these life-saving chemicals your | | | | Vikki. |