10 Easy Ways To Up Your Antioxidant Intake

It’s no secret that antioxidants are incredibly beneficial to good health, in fact I’ve already covered it in a past blog post and now I’d like to go into more detail. It’s understood antioxidants found naturally in foods can help prevent cancer, reverse or slow aging, strengthen your immune system, increase your energy levels and improve heart and other organ health.

Given all we know about antioxidants and their beneficial properties, it’s amazing more people still aren’t eating lots of colourful fruits and vegetables, which are after all the primary sources of antioxidants. Experts recommend a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, but say getting 7-10 servings is best. Japan, for example, recommends eating anywhere between 9 and 17 portions!

Here are 10 steps to getting more antioxidants into your diet, and they don’t just include fruits and vegetables. If you don’t have time to read the full article, a quick summary is incorporate colourful fruits and vegetables at every meal, use generous amounts of dried herbs and spices to your cooking, don’t overcook your veg, grow your own produce, upgrade your tea to chai tea (preferably without the white sugar), cook from scratch as often as possible and add some dark coloured beans to your meals.

1. Breakfast

Breakfast doesn’t have to be a hurried piece of toast on the way out the door. Throw some strawberries, 100% juice and plain yogurt into a blender; pour the smoothie mixture into a cup and head out the door. You’ve just added one to three servings of fruits to your daily intake. You could even sneak in some frozen spinach to the blender and you probably won’t even notice! Depending on the season, you can use fresh or frozen fruit and if you don’t fancy eating a cold smoothie, try using hot water or even a tasty herbal tea instead of the juice.

Say you truly have no time in the morning and usually grab something on the run. Most if not all food retailers sell fruit bags or berry, oat and yogurt combos and these can be a good way to up your intake of important antioxidants.

2. Snacks

Here’s an easy way to get more antioxidants in your diet. How about two medjool dates for a snack, or some fresh red grapes? Dip some strawberries in plain yogurt. This will feel nicely decadent, but the berries will provide the bright colour, and therefore the antioxidant (in this case anthocyanins) you’re looking for. Prefer some crunch? How about some baby carrots dipped in hummus? Consider a handful of pecans for crunch and a nice antioxidant boost. Dark chocolate also contains good amounts of healthy antioxidants.

3. Lunch and dinner

It might sound too easy, but including a side salad alongside each of your main daily meals can do lots for your overall health and well-being. They don’t have to be boring, and they don’t have to be just salad greens. If you’re going classic, add some sliced red pepper or red onion to your green salad, some tomatoes, cucumber and olives to make a Greek salad, or some pomegranate seeds to some leaves. You could be more adventurous and mix up a rice salad with a mix of fresh vegetables like green beans, tomatoes, peppers and red onions. Top with a good sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar plus sea salt and pepper to add extra flavour.

4. Puddings

Berries, with or without whipped cream or chocolate, are a wonderful way to end your day of healthy, antioxidant-rich eating.

5. Drinks

Replace soft drinks with green or chai teas or hot chocolate, both of which boast antioxidant compounds.

6. Think outside the box

We know we can get our antioxidant fix from berries, salad leaves and the like, but researchers say powerful antioxidants can also be found in a variety of unexpected foods, like russet potatoes, artichokes, and small red beans such as aduki or kidney. The beans, in fact, may have more antioxidant power than blueberries, experts say. So add some beans to your rice salad for even more antioxidants.

7. Cook lightly

You think you’re being good, preparing vegetables each night for your family’s dinner. But if you’re overcooking the vegetables, you’re cooking out a lot of the beneficial properties of the antioxidants. Steam rather than boil vegetables, and stop cooking them at the point they still have all of their bright colour and most of their bite.

8. Plant a veggie garden

Experts believe that people who plant and harvest fruits and vegetables from their own gardens are far more likely to eat more vegetables and fruits than people who buy food from a supermarket. So plant a garden, with raised beds, or plant some fruit trees, watch them grow and eat the fruits (literally) of your labour, year after year.

9. Take your healthy diet on holiday

Too many of us consider going on holiday an opportunity to take a holiday from everything, including healthy eating. Think of holiday as a way to be introduced to new foods. Order an interesting vegetable dish in a restaurant and then if possible ask the chef how he or she prepared the dish.

10. Learn to cook

If you’re cooking, you’re not opening bags and boxes. Cooking involves scrubbing and peeling vegetables, preparing whole foods and paying attention to how things are cooked. If you’re ordering takeaway every night, you’re far less likely to be eating the whole foods and natural fruits and vegetables that provide the base for our antioxidant intake.

So there you have it, ten easy ways to incorporate more antioxidants into your diet and as such ten additional ways of staying healthier in the face of stress and offsetting the negative effects of pollutants and toxins on our bodies. If you would like some additional help in any of these areas, you can check out the services I offer, including cooking and coaching, here.