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Antioxidants Modern living takes its toll on our bodies. We have to cope with the chemical wear and tear of going about our daily business. Our cells need oxygen to react with sugar and fats and supply the chemical energy that keeps the cellular machinery functioning.
By using antioxidant molecules that can react harmlessly with free radicals before they do damage, our bodies can interrupt the process. But to do this, they need a constant supply of antioxidants. Fortunately we can help provide antioxidants by making informed food choices. Most of the antioxidants we consume come from plants. They include vitamins A, C and E, carotenoids such as beta-carotene, some minerals, phenolic compounds and other naturally occurring chemicals with antioxidant properties. Colourful fruit and vegetables tend to be rich in antioxidants, particularly if they are coloured all the way through. With green leafy vegetables, the darker the better. Good food sources of antioxidants include asparagus, beans, beetroot, blackcurrants, blueberries and other berry fruit, broccoli, kale and other brassicas, cherries, kiwifruit, onions and garlic, peppers, plums and prunes, raisins, red wine, spinach/silverbeet, tea, watercress, wholemeal, wholegrain or fruit breads.
The best sources of Vitamin E are vegetable oils and cereals - particularly in the germ of whole grains, nuts and seeds. Tea is a rich source of antioxidants called flavonoids, and wine contains beneficial phenolic compounds. Recent research shows the risk of cancer and heart disease is considerably lower in people who consume five to seven serves of antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables. This is supported by extensive studies which indicate that diets high in antioxidant-rich foods, such as fruit and vegetables, offer significant protection against other age-related degenerative diseases.
Sources and suggested further reading:
Here are a few recipes that will help you include more antioxidants in your diet. You can search my website for more by typing the individual fruit or vegetable into the search box.
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Free radicals are a by-product of normal metabolism and they also
occur through external factors such as x-rays, ultraviolet radiation
and pollution. These unstable chemicals can damage our body’s delicate
machinery. Consequences can include artery damage leading to heart
attacks, eye damage that can lead to macular degeneration, cataracts
and blindness, damage to a cell's DNA that can lead to tumours. 
Prawn heads also contain a powerful antioxidant
and recently a technique has been perfected
to extract it. The antioxidant triggering the red colouring
in cooked prawns, astaxanthin, is 10 times stronger
than more common antioxidants found in fruit and vegetables.
While researchers had known of the existence of astaxanthin
in prawn shells, they hadn't found an effective way to extract
it. A PhD student from the University of NSW, Renuka Karuppuswamy,
has solved the problem. Using carbon dioxide held under specific
pressure and temperature measurements, she extract it from prawn
shells, meaning commercial-scale extraction could now be a possibility.Email | ©2008 Churchill Communications