Antioxidants
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