Antioxidant Power

Nicole Meadow, MPN, RD
Last Updated: Tuesday, December 09, 2008

The buzz word of the decade is antioxidant. It discussed practically everywhere, but it seems that people are still pretty confused about the concept. What exactly are antioxidants, what do they do and how can you maximize your intake?

Antioxidants are chemicals that may protect the cells in our bodies from damage caused by free radicals (highly reactive chemicals that attack molecules and modify their structure). Research shows that if left alone, free radical damage can lead to some forms of cancer and other long-term disease states like heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s Disease and stroke.

Research has shown that the different antioxidants have specific and unique health protective effects. The best way to maximize your antioxidant intake is to eat a wide variety of COLORFUL fruits and vegetables every day in addition to whole grains, lean protein, healthy fats and low fat dairy products. (You might have noticed that the 5-A-Day has been replaced with Fruits & Veggies: More Matters to help spread this message.) That’s right… a well balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables is the best way to have the highest antioxidant power because it is thought that these chemicals have a synergistic effect. What that means is that they work best when consumed in whole foods as part of a varied diet. Taking high dose supplements might not produce the effects that you are expecting because the antioxidants might not work by themselves. The chemicals work when they are part of the foods that they are naturally found in and also when consumed with other healthful foods.

The research on antioxidants continues to grow, but here is the latest on the health benefits of some specific antioxidants:

    Vitamin C (found in citrus, red & green pepper, strawberries): neutralizes free radicals; may contribute to maintenance of bone health and immune function.

    Vitamin E (found in almonds, hazelnuts sunflower seeds): neutralizes free radicals; may contribute to healthy immune function and maintenance of heart health

    Anthocyanins (found in berries, cherries, red grapes): may contribute to maintenance of brain function

    Flavanols (found in tea, cocoa, chocolate, apples): may contribute to maintenance of heart health

Check the International Food Information Council foundation's Website for more information.

Tips on increasing your antioxidant power:

• Add berries to hot or cold cereal
• Make a salad and a vegetable with dinner every night (remember it is your job as parents to offer the foods, and your children’s job to decide if and how much to eat)
• Add dried fruit to summer salads (cranberries or raisins)
• Make one meal each day vegetarian (or one entire day per week vegetarian)… increase beans, legumes, veggies and whole grains at this meal or on this day
• Have fruit with your snack at least once per day

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