What Are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are naturally occurring substances in foods that are capable of preventing or inhibiting the oxidation of other substances. Okay, so what does that mean?

The normal metabolic processes produce chemicals called "oxygen free radicals". Excessive oxygen free radicals in the body have been linked with the onset of several diseases including cancer and heart disease. While a lot more research needs to be done, it is wise to consider antioxidants as part of preventative medicine

The action of antioxidants is to "scavenge" free radicals from the body thus reducing or preventing the damage they cause. Recent research indicates the risk of cancer and heart disease is considerably lower in people who consume from 5 to 7 serves of antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables each day. This is further supported by extensive studies showing that diets high in antioxidant rich foods, provide significant protection against other age-related degenerative diseases such as macular degeneration, Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease.

Common Antioxidants

Some common nutrient antioxidants are vitamins A, C and E, and the minerals copper, zinc and selenium. However, there are other dietary food compounds - such as phytochemicals (from plants) and zoochemicals (from animal products), that are believed to have even greater antioxidant effects than either vitamins or minerals. These are called non-nutrient antioxidants.

Phytochemicals

Some common phytochemicals (and where they occur) are:

  • Flavonoids / polyphenols (soy, red wine, purple grapes, pomegranate, cranberries, tea)
  • Lycopene (Tomatoes, pink grapefruit, watermelon)
  • Lutein (dark green vegetables such as kale, broccoli, kiwi, brussels sprout and spinach)
  • Lignan (flax seed, oatmeal, barley, rye)

What Are Anthocyanins?

Anthocyanins are antioxidant flavonoid plant pigments known for their anti-inflammatory properties. They are commonly found in red/purplish flowers, fruits and vegetables, including purple cabbage, eggplant (or aubergine), beets, blueberries, cherries, raspberries and purple grapes. Some of the richest plant sources of anthocyanins are blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, red currants and cherries. Two of the richest sources of anthocyanins in berries are in the black raspberry and Acai berry (or tropical palm berry).

Which Foods Have High Antioxidant Content?

One method of measuring the antioxidant capacity of different foods is known as the ORAC score. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. Foods with higher ORAC scores have higher antioxidant properties. Click here for more information on the ORAC score and to see how differenc toods compare in their ORAC values.

Here's to your continued good health !