So what are they and why should you care about them? We shall begin our story with Free Oxidising Radicals. If you have had your mind numbed by beauty product commercials you may have heard of these nasties. (Here comes the science bit) Free radicals are produced when certain molecules react with unstable oxygen molecules during the process of combustion, for example during; smoking, burning of petrol (car exhaust fumes), frying or barbequing food, normal bodily processes and (Oh No) exercise. These free radicals can float around in our bodies damaging healthy cells, and are implicated in; susceptibility to infections, ageing, cancer, heart disease, cataracts and macular degeneration (vision loss common in elderly people), diabetes, Hypertension (high blood pressure), infertility, arthritis, cognitive impairment and stroke.

All is not lost, because these dangerous chemicals can be disarmed by antioxidants which are possibly the most important nutrients that you will ever hear about. Some of the big names are vitamins A, C and E, as well as beta-carotenes (found in red, orange and yellow fruit and vegetables) Selenium (found in Brazil nuts) Zinc, and bioflavonoids (also from fruit and vegetables) as well as many others. If you can balance the number of free radicals entering your body with the number of antioxidants entering your body then it is thought you can help your body avoid the diseases listed above. It is hardly surprising that studies have linked high levels of antioxidants with longer lives, and the absence of chronic diseases.

In studies around the world, high levels of antioxidants were found in people over the age of 100, and elderly people with high cognitive function also had higher levels of antioxidants. Many other research projects have linked low intake of antioxidants with Alzheimers, lung cancer, heart attacks, cataracts, the list goes on. A large intake of antioxidants is thought to lead to an enhanced quality of life and a delaying of the processes of ageing.

So now we know how great they are, how can we get our hands on them? Many people boost their intake with supplements, but these are no substitute for a healthy diet, and provide none of the important fibre found in source-foods which will help reduce chances of bowel dysfunction and bowel cancers. The human body is designed to derive its nutrition from plant and animal matter, and there is some uncertainty about how efficiently the body can absorb certain supplements, leading to what nutritionists call expensive urine. Many supermarkets and companies sell bargain vitamins and supplements, but often the nutrients come in compounds which are not useful or readily absorbable- you get what you pay for in many cases. I am not dismissing all supplements, but care must be taken in choosing and using them.

Your body is capable of extracting antioxidants from natural whole foods, and this is a safe and healthy way of getting them into your system. To get the full complement of antioxidants you need to have a varied diet- the less foods you are prepared to eat, the fewer nutrients are available to you. To obtain an optimum amount of these life-saving chemicals your diet should consist of; whole grains, nuts, seeds and oily fish (vitamin E, zinc, and others) and brightly colored fruit and vegetables of as many different varieties as possible (for vitamin C, A, beta-carotenes, bioflavinoids and folates). You will be pleased to know that there are also antioxidants in Tea (especially green tea), dark chocolate and red wine (hurrah), although all of these should be used sparingly. The fresher your fruit and vegetables the more antioxidant value, some fruit juices and supermarket vegetables when tested contain almost no vitamin C- it may have been months since the original fruit was harvested. (It is important to note that you may see the word antioxidant on some food packaging, sometimes with an e number attached- you will derive no benefit from consuming these).

Your Antioxidant shopping list: 1. A steamer; lightly steamed vegetables will contain more nutrients than boiled.
2. A juicer; make your own fresh fruit and vegetable antioxidant cocktails. Try Apple, carrot, beetroot and ginger- dont pull that face, it is delicious!
3. Oily Fish; fresh tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines. (Avoid all hydrogenated fats which will inhibit these beneficial chemicals.)
4. Green stuff; broccoli, cabbage, peas, kiwi, watercress, spinach, limes.
5. Yellow and orange stuff; lemons, golden linseed for essential fats and vitamin E(buy it ready ground or use a clean coffee grinder and make your own to sprinkle on cereal) peppers, mangoes, eggs, swede, turmeric (a ground spice), oranges, pumpkin and squash, sweet potatoes, apricots and peaches, carrots.
6. Red and purple stuff; beetroot, red cabbage, blueberries, ALL BERRIES, blackcurrants, ruby chard, beetroot tops (steam them like spinach), plumbs and prunes, purple sprouting, ruby grapefruit, tomatoes and red peppers.
7. White Stuff; Cauliflower, (rich in vitamins A and C), Brazil nuts for selenium, and a selection of other fresh nuts and seeds- avoid cooked nuts such as peanuts and cashews and other salted nuts- they dont have the same benefits and are very fatty, and salty.
8. Organic fruit and vegetables have shown in tests to have higher levels of antioxidants- between 10 and 50% higher. Although if you are buying organic produce check the labels- if it is flown in from some far-flung destination it is not fresh despite being organic.
9. Local and seasonal fruit and vegetables will also be fresher and more likely to contain higher concentrations of our favorite chemicals.

Well I hope that you feel armed with knowledge and ready to do battle down the market to get the freshest, healthiest and most colourful shopping. Root out the winter vegetables, roast some beetroot with thyme and olive oil, buy some pumpkin and squash, and catch the freshest apples, straight off the trees.

Until next time,
Stay healthy,
Vikki.

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