How to Fight Aging With Antioxidant Foods
Foods containing antioxidants help the body fight free radicals. These molecules are destructive to the body, sometimes becoming carcinogenic. They take a toll on the body, speeding the aging process. Eating antioxidant-rich foods regularly helps you decrease the damage free radicals do to your body. Read on to learn how to fight aging with antioxidant foods.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Step 1 Enjoy tomatoes. Packed with beneficial amounts of vitamins A and C, two of the most vital antioxidant nutrients, tomatoes are a powerful fruit. As the most purchased produce item in the United States, tomatoes are plentiful and simple to work into your diet. Find them in juices, sauces, salads and more.
Step 2 Get plenty of leafy greens. Kale, collard greens and spinach are popular choices in this category. Full of vitamins A, C and E, these veggies carry all you need to banish free radicals. Serve these greens solo as a side dish, or add to hearty soups and stews.
Step 3 Mix fruits packed with vitamin A (peaches and apricots) and vitamin C (citrus fruits, strawberries and blueberries). With many options, these fruits are easy to work into a diet as snacks, side dishes or additions to salads. They are also an extremely healthy dessert.
Step 4 Have a sip of green tea. This beverage is quickly gaining popularity as its health benefits are numerous. Full of mineral antioxidants, green tea helps the body rid dangerous free radicals. Try swapping your morning coffee for a cup of this flavorful tea. You will get a boost of caffeine while starting your day on a healthy note.
Step 5 Eat your broccoli. Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables including cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts can help prevent cancer and stave off heart disease.
Antioxidants Rock
Inside your body, an army of antioxidants is protecting you from the forces of aging and disease. We're huge fans of these stellar nutrients and how you can get more on your side
Labels on everything from chocolate to pomegranate juice to moisturizer scream the benefits of antioxidants. And we're happy to report that it's not just hype. One study after another has shown that antioxidants help prevent cancer and heart disease, safeguard memory, reduce the risk of degenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, protect joints, soothe pain, reduce muscle soreness and fatigue, avert blindness caused by macular degeneration and cataracts, and even ward off wrinkles.
That's all amazing news, but it begs two big questions: What exactly are antioxidants? And how can they possibly fight off such a wide array of health problems? We investigated these warriors of the health world and discovered how they patrol every part of our body, repairing damaged molecules that if allowed to run rampant would accelerate aging and disease. By the time you're done reading this, you'll want every meal you eat -- and every product you put on your skin -- to be packed with antioxidant power.
