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.
