It’s no secret that antioxidants are incredibly beneficial to good health. It’s believed

the antioxidants in food can help prevent cancer, reverse or slow aging, enhance

your immune system, increase your energy and improve heart and other organ

health.

Given all we know about antioxidants and their beneficial properties, it’s amazing

more people don’t get enough fruits and vegetables, the primary sources of

antioxidants. Experts recommend a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and

vegetables daily, but say getting 7-10 servings is best.

There are 10 steps to getting more antioxidants into your diet.

1.Breakfast

Breakfast doesn’t have to be a hurried toast on the way out the door. Throw

some strawberries, 100% juice and yogurt into a blender; pour your delicious

mixture into a cup and head out the door. You’ve just added one to three servings

of fruits to your daily intake. Or throw some berries onto your cold or hot cereal.

Say you truly have no time in the morning and usually grab something on the run.

Even most coffee shops can be of some help here. Order some fruit, yogurt

and some apple slices. For a few quid, you have a breakfast providing one to two

servings of fruit.

2.Snacks

Here’s an easy way to get more antioxidants in your diet. How about a handful of

raisins for a snack, or some fresh red grapes? Dip some strawberries in yogurt.

You’ll feel decadent, but the berries provide the colour you’re looking for. Need

crunch? How about some baby carrots dipped in hummus? Consider a handful of

pecans for crunch and a nice antioxidant boost.

3.Lunch and dinner

It might sound trite, but adding a salad to each of your main daily meals can add

loads to your overall health and well-being. They don’t have to be boring, and they

don’t have to be just salad greens. If you’re going classic, add some red pepper

slices to your green salad, some tomatoes to the Greek salad, or tart cranberries to

your field greens. Whip up a broccoli salad for lunch, or be adventurous and mix

up a rice salad with a mélange of fresh vegetables like string beans, tomatoes,

peppers and red onions.

4.Dessert

Berries, with or without whipped cream or chocolate are a wonderful way to end

your day of healthy, antioxidant-rich eating.

5.Beverages

Replace your fizzy drinks with tea or coffee, both of which boast antioxidant compounds.

Or for a real change of pace, pour a glass of spiced chai tea.

6.Think outside the box

We know we can get our antioxidant fix from berries, salads and the like, but

researchers say powerful antioxidants can also be found in a variety of unexpected

foods, like russet potatoes, artichokes, and small red beans. The beans, in fact, may

have more antioxidant power than blueberries, experts say. So to your rice salad

full of vegetables, add some beans for even more antioxidants.

7.Cook lightly

You think you’re being good, preparing vegetables each night for your family’s

dinner. But if you’re overcooking the vegetables, you’re cooking out a lot of the

beneficial properties of the antioxidants. Steam (don’t boil) vegetables, and stop

cooking them when they will have all of their bright colour and most of their bite.

8.Plant a garden

Experts believe that people who plant and harvest vegetables from their own

gardens are far more likely to eat more vegetables and fruits than people who buy

their produce from the shops. So plant a garden, watch it grow and eat the fruits

(literally) of your labour.

9.Take your healthy diet on vacation

Too many of us consider going on vacation an opportunity to take a vacation from

everything, including healthy eating. Think of vacation as a way to be introduced

to new foods. Order an interesting vegetable dish in a restaurant and then pay

attention to how the chef prepared the dish.

10.Learn to cook

If you’re cooking, you’re not opening bags and boxes. Cooking involves scrubbing

and peeling vegetables, preparing whole foods and paying attention to how things

are cooked. If you’re ordering out every night, you’re far less likely to be eating the

whole foods and natural fruits and vegetables that provide the base for our

antioxidant intake.