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Antioxidants

Mother Told You to Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables
If there's ever been a family of compounds to crow about, it's the antioxidant. These compounds, found in fruits, vegetables, and grains, have garnered an excellent reputation among health scientists – and with good reason.

Studies looking for links between diet and disease consistently find that the incidence of killer diseases, such as heart disease and certain cancers, goes down as the consumption of fruits and vegetables increases. Over the years, scientists have been trying to learn more about this effect. Is it something in these foods, or just the fact that the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the less room you might have for other, less healthful fare? The answer has to do with the presence of antioxidants.

What Do They Do?
It all has to do with oxygen, the oxygen we breathe to stay alive, and the same oxygen that rusts a nail when it is left exposed to the elements. Obviously, we need oxygen to stay alive. But it turns out that oxygen, in the wrong place at the wrong time, can do serious damage to the body. The problem comes when the oxygen reacts and forms "free radicals," compounds that damage cells and are believed to be involved in the development of heart disease, cancer, aging, and a host of other ailments. The fat in your bloodstream is a key target for this type of reaction.

Think about it. If fat is a target, the more fat you have in your bloodstream, the greater the likelihood that free radicals and oxidized fats will form and damage will result. It's a very solid rationale behind the wisdom of a low-fat diet. But if this is the case, how do we explain the apparent healthfulness of the consumers of the "Mediterranean diet" – people in Greece, Italy, France, and other countries – who routinely have higher intakes of fat than us, yet can boast health statistics that put us to shame? It turns out that the body has a defense system that can help prevent this type of "oxidation" from causing harm. But to be at its best, the body depends on a daily supply of antioxidant nutrients from the diet. If you examine the diets of these cultures, you will find that they also have a hefty intake of dietary antioxidants from their daily intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains. Here in this country, we eat a high-fat diet, but fail to get the antioxidant nutrients we need.

It is recommended that you aim for three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruits every day. Although this may sound imposing, it's not when you consider that a typical serving is a medium piece of fruit, 1 cup of a leafy vegetable, 1/2 cup of fruit or cooked vegetables, 1/4 cup of dried fruit, or 6 ounces of a fruit or vegetable juice.

Vitamin A and the Carotenes
We get Vitamin A from the foods we eat in two separate forms. The first is the preformed, "active" vitamin A itself. The second form is the carotenes, compounds that animal organisms are able to change into the "active" vitamin A. We find the preformed vitamin A in foods of animal origin, such as dairy products, eggs, and organ meats. You can also find this form of the vitamin A in vitamin-fortified foods, such as breakfast cereals. The carotenes are found in most yellow and green vegetables and fruits.

Vitamin E
Nature uses vitamin E to protect its plant seed oils, the energy source used by the developing seed to sprout, send down its roots, and grow to the point that it can begin producing energy on its own. That's why we find the highest concentrations of vitamin E in foods like sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and almonds. Among vegetables, kale and sweet potatoes are the best sources. Aside from these natural food sources, you can always get a Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) through vitamin-fortified cereals.

Vitamin C
In addition to its role as an antioxidant, vitamin C (also called ascorbic acid) is needed for protein metabolism and the immune system, as well as for healthy gums, healing of wounds, and making collagen (the "cement" that holds body cells together). You can find vitamin C in fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, peppers, melons, berries, brussels sprouts, green vegetables, tomatoes, and potatoes.