ANTIOXIDANTS… What the?
You may have noticed recently that antioxidants are in just about everything. You pick up some breakfast cereal – ‘fortified with antioxidants’, choose a block of dark chocolate – ‘a rich source of antioxidants’ and let’s not forget about tea. But what are antioxidants I hear you say?
Antioxidants are naturally occurring compounds in foods that protect body cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. When our body cells use oxygen, they naturally produce these free radicals (by-products) which can cause the damage. Antioxidants act as "free radical scavengers" and hence prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals. Health problems such as heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, cancer etc are all contributed by oxidative damage. A diet rich in antioxidants can help prevent free radicals damaging the body.
A healthy diet provides a variety of antioxidants including vitamins (eg. Vitamin A, C and E), minerals (eg. Zinc and Selenium) and phytochemicals (eg. lycopene, catechins and polyphenols). It is thought that by eating more antioxidant containing foods, it may be possible to reduce the risk of developing some diseases.
To increase the amount of antioxidants eaten, try more:
- fruits and vegetables
- wholegrain breads and cereals
- nuts and seeds
- Drinking tea and red wine also provides extra antioxidants.
 Try to select a wide variety of healthy foods each day to increase the level of antioxidants in the diet, rather than taking antioxidant supplements. Some studies have found that very high doses of individual antioxidants may actually be harmful to health.
Amanda Edis—Dietitian
Amanda is part of the LIFE! team. If you want to change your lifestyle or require dietiary advice, please feel free to contact her at Community Health on 5862 0560 |
Most Commonly Known Antioxidants
Vitamin A and Carotenoids
Carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, collards, cantaloupe, peaches and apricots (bright-coloured fruits and vegetables!)
Vitamin C
Citrus fruits like oranges and lime etc, green peppers, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, strawberries and tomatoes
Vitamin E
Nuts & seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, vegetable oil and liver oil
Selenium
Fish & shellfish, red meat, grains, eggs, chicken and garlic
Other Common Antioxidants
Some common phytochemicals
Flavonoids / polyphenols
Soy; red wine; purple grapes or Concord grapes; pomegranate; cranberries; tea; Lycopene; Tomato and tomato products; pink grapefruit |