Antioxidant food for your diet

Antioxidant food for your diet

❔What are antioxidants for? 

Antioxidants are chemicals that fight damage in our bodies caused by unstable oxygen molecules called free radicals. These molecules are naturally produced (ie, metabolic processes, inflammation) and from our environment (ie, pollution, UV radiation, cigarette smoke). Free radicals can cause the damaging process known as oxidation. Being unstable molecules, they try to bind onto healthy body cells to stabilize themselves, damaging the healthy cells. Antioxidants protect us by neutralizing oxidation caused by these free radicals to stabilize them before they latch onto anything in the body.  

🗯️Are free radicals bad for us? 

Not necessarily. Free radicals are naturally produced in the body to help our immune system kill old body cells and bacteria. Antioxidants are also produced naturally to neutralize them. However, excess free radicals from our environment can damage the body and lead to oxidative stress. 

💢What is oxidative stress?

As we age, our bodies produce fewer antioxidants to fight free radicals. By having too many free radicals and not enough antioxidants, we can experience oxidative stress. This causes damage to our lipids (fats), proteins, to DNA in our cells and stops them from functioning properly. Oxidative stress is a contributor to numerous chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, and more. 

🍓Antioxidant-rich diet:

Incorporating antioxidant foods into your diet can help balance free radicals in your body. Vegetables, citrus fruits, nuts, spices, and chocolate are great sources of antioxidants along with supplements Vitamin C, E, and beta-carotene. Try these common foods:

  • Citrus fruits – oranges | strawberries | kiwi (sources of Vitamin C) 
  • Nuts – walnuts | pecans | sunflower seeds 
  • Spices – cloves, dried, whole and ground | allspice, dried ground | cinnamon | mint, dried 
  • Chocolate – dark chocolate, high cocoa content 

🌿Foraged antioxidant foods: 

Try out foraging, drying, and adding these into your diet: 

  • Dandelion leaves, dried 
  • Burdock Root
  • Salmonberry
  • Chickweed

Citations: 

Carlsen, M. H., et. al (2010, January 22). The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide. Nutrition journal. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2841576/ 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Antioxidant supplements: What you need to know. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/antioxidant-supplements-what-you-need-to-know 

Raloff, J. (2022, August 21). Explainer: What are oxidants and antioxidants?. Science News Explores. https://www.snexplores.org/article/explainer-what-are-antioxidants 

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