Antioxidant Foods

Achieving Inner Health with Antioxidants

   Dec 20

Antioxidant Foods

By admin

Antioxidant Foods or Supplements

Do we achieve greater benefit from choosing antioxidant foods or antioxidant supplements? There have been many studies carried out to determine the answer to this question and many more surrounding the use of antioxidants and it’s benefit to us.

I have started this blog to share with you information and in general my findings about the topic of Antioxidants. Recently I have been on a journey of self improvement specifically in the health department after receiving a wake up call from my doctor. In my endeavour to introduce a healthier lifestyle I have discovered that a simple combination of exercise and healthy eating is all that it takes to achieve great health.

Healthy Eating

The most difficult part however is getting the healthy eating right. With such a variety of information about the correct foods available to us from many sources it is quite difficult to know what to do. It is my intention to record in this blog useful information about the benefits of antioxidant foods, whether it is better to take supplements or to consume food types which contain them.

I will explore this subject in detail and also topics that are similar which could be of benefit to the reader. I have no doubt in my mind that there are many things we can do in order to look after our bodies and live a healthier life. Once we have gathered the right information and implement a healthy eating strategy we can look forward to a better quality of life. Having knowledge about antioxidants for example will allow us to make the right choices about choosing the foods for our healthy diet.

I look forward to this journey of learning and hope you will receive some benefit from the discussions here at Antioxidant Foods.

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   May 10

Antioxidant Supplement

By admin

Is an Antioxidant Supplement a Good Idea?

Should you consider an antioxidant supplement? You probably already know that antioxidants are highly recommended for helping you to fend off illness, toxins, and premature aging.  But how much should you be getting and is it wise to take a supplement in addition to eating as many Antioxidant Foods as possible?

Of course antioxidant foods should be integrated into your diet wherever possible. Food is the number one way to benefit from vitamins and nutrients.  We are what we eat! But it’s not always easy to get enough wholesome food into our diet and an antioxidant supplement could help you take extra precautions to help you ensure that you are helping to protect your health as much as possible.

How Much do You Need?

Some people think that you can’t have too much of a good thing but not all Antioxidants react the exact same way in our bodies and certain antioxidant rich foods could have too much of a certain element that could be potentially harmful in excess in other ways.  Follow dietary guidelines and strive to get a variety of antioxidant-rich foods into your diet.

Tip: You shouldn’t simply up antioxidants thinking they’ll help you reduce risk while you maintain an unhealthy lifestyle. Integration of antioxidants into your diet should be a part of an overall effort to improve your lifestyle.

Getting 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and minimising unhealthy foods is advisable. Taking efforts to get natural antioxidants into each day is smart. It’s also smart to look for the best available supplements to augment your efforts.

When looking at supplements, measure antioxidant value to help you choose the right now.

About the ORAC Scale

What is the ORAC scale? Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is a method for determining how powerful of an antioxidant something is.  By finding out how certain foods measure up, you can determine where to get your best bang for your buck. Note that some foods will have different levels when raw versus cooked and when cooked via boiling versus steaming, for instance. When searching for an antioxidant supplement, look for something with a high ORAC value to help you get the best benefit possible.

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   Apr 27

Foods High in Antioxidants

By admin

5 Foods High in Antioxidants

If you want to benefit from antioxidants, it’s best to frequently eat foods high in antioxidants. Sure, many people opt for an antioxidant supplement but not only will you benefit most from high antioxidant levels from the following foods but they’ve got other health benefits, too. antioxidant foods

Antioxidants help you fight free radicals that can prematurely age you and that can cause disease. They’re great for proactive and reactive purposes. If you think it’s difficult to get enough into your daily menu, you probably aren’t aware of just how many different types of antioxidant-rich foods there are. Here are just 5 foods high in antioxidants that are super easy (and delicious) to incorporate into your diet.

  1. Berries. Berries like blueberries, acai berries, and goji berries are all considered super foods due to their antioxidant powers. Eat them on their own, sprinkle in cereal, add to your yogurt, toss in your salad, etc.
  2. Almonds. Almonds are great on their own, in trail mixes, salads, stir fries, and so on. You can have almond milk as a milk substitute, too, and it has great health and weight management benefits.
  3. Green and white tea. Many people extol the virtues of green tea and this beverage does offer great health benefits including a high level of antioxidants. While it’s not exactly a food, it’s something you can consume with your food in lieu of calorie laden beverages that are full of empty calories.  White tea has even higher antioxidant levels (higher than some fruits and vegetables), is great for your teeth, and can help you fight bacteria including strep and staph infections, too.
  4. Whole Grain Brown Rice. Most people eat white rice but whole grain brown rice is much healthier for you and has much more antioxidant power. As a whole grain it has a lot of fiber and promotes satiety so is great for weight loss or weight maintenance, as well. It may take some effort to getting accustomed to eating brown rice instead of white but you will definitely benefit from this change!
  5. Garlic. Garlic is a known health booster with antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant capabilities. It can help you boost your immune system, reduces cardiovascular disease risks, helps with blood pressure, and has a plethora of other benefits. And garlic is delicious!  Opt for fresh garlic versus dried garlic powder whenever possible. Many spices have antioxidant powers and offer an easy way to make your food healthier and more flavourful.

Tip: Eat organic foods wherever possible. Antioxidants help you fight toxins so it’s important to eat clean and organic foods high in antioxidants for the best outcome possible!

Knowledge is power and this is especially the case with your health. The great thing about Antioxidant Foods is that most of them are delicious as well as healthy. If you aim to integrate foods high in antioxidants into each meal you eat you won’t be sorry!

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   Jan 23

Best Antioxidants

By admin

Why Natural Foods are the Best Antioxidants

The best antioxidants will always be found straight from the garden soil.  Today we are going to explore just a few options of how to achieve the best antioxidant intake.

Obviously the natural way is best. Compare it to the way we use money.   Just as when we were, children with our first bank accounts, each deposit adds up.  The great news was we got the bonus of interest   Simple and easy.  The same applies as to when we accrue debts.  The earlier we start protecting our bodies from the negative effects of free radicals, the better, as this adds up just like the banking analogy.  Each time our body is hit by illness or disease we lose points.

The absolute Rule Number 1:

The best foods have a high coloring:

Aim for reds, oranges, and greens, remembering that the more vivid the color, the greater likelihood you have of selecting the best antioxidant food from the shelf, if you can’t grow it yourself.   Anyone serious about what goes into their bodies will also consider the obvious choice of buying or better still growing organically.  We’ll look into that in one of our next articles coming soon.

Rule Number 2:

What so many of us forget when acquiring our brightly vivid produce is that it will be peeled, and we’ll only eat the interior.  So again, make sure what is inside has the color and best antioxidants benefits.

An important note when consuming orange colored food, most likely pumpkin, kumara or sweet potato.  These contain Beta-carotene and more is better can result in the diner having an orange tone to their pupils, skin and even the palms of their hands and feet.  You won’t suffer from an overdose of the vital Vitamin A which is a cornerstone of good health, but can accrue and have a toxicity effect in overdose when taken as a supplement.

Change around the way you eat foods with the best Antioxidants properties.  Each of us is different, but balance is the key here. Some people will eat fruit over vegetables.  A little known fact is that some fruits, whilst highly beneficial to our health, have fructose a naturally occurring sugar, which in some rarer individuals has a negative impact.  Ensure your intake is a good mix of vegetables, lentils and fruit, and get it as fresh as possible.

We will also explore in more depth at a later time frozen versus fresh and which is the best antioxidant option, and where the media in to believing and behaving in certain ways sway us.

Consider how you can get the maximum benefits, because if you enslave yourself here with this, it will end up, as a fad you tire of, and like yo-yo dieters, will abandon.

Top Tips

  • Set aside some time- a couple of hours are ample.
  • PLAN your menu.
  • SHOP and have your fresh foods, and all other ingredients on hand.
  • COOK meals you can freeze.

It’s just as easy to make soups, casseroles and stews for multiple portions as it is for the one meal of the day.

You’ll enjoy your food so much more knowing you have the best antioxidants replenishing your bodies. Till next time: Bon Appetite

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