Antioxidants: Your Cell's Protectors

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Antioxidants are your cell’s protectors. They protect your body’s cells just as oil or paint protects your car from rust! Cells need protecting because oxygen, even though essential for life, creates damaging byproducts. These byproducts, called free radicals, occur when some oxygen molecules become highly reactive. They can cause cell damage – much as oxygen causes unprotected iron to rust. This cell damage may lead to heart disease, cancer, cataracts and weakening of the immune system. To prevent the damaging effects of free radicals, antioxidants come to the rescue. Some antioxidants simply control free radicals; some transform them to less damaging compounds, and some repair the damaged cell itself.

Some better known antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene. Beta carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body as it is needed. There are many other compounds in foods that scientists are now studying for their antioxidants effects. The antioxidant nutrients are most abundant in the plant kingdom: vegetables, fruits and nuts. Deeply colored vegetables and fruits are generally highest in antioxidants. Popeye knew his nutrition when he made sure to get plenty of spinach. This dark, green leafy vegetable is high in all three of the major antioxidants: vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene. In general, if you consume one food source per day from each antioxidant group, you will be getting what you need. You will be able to check out your intake of antioxidants in the “Add up Your Antioxidants” section.

What about getting antioxidants from supplements? A person can be shortchanged by relying on supplements. Supplements lack the great variety of compounds in foods which may also have antioxidant powers. Most important, high doses of nutrients as pills can be harmful: large amounts of vitamin C increase the risk of diarrhea or urinary stones; too much vitamin A (not beta carotene) is toxic. Furthermore, a high dose of one nutrient can offset the benefits of another nutrient. Besides all of this, supplement pills contain no fiber. So Mom was right when she said: “Be sure to eat your fruits and vegetables”!

ADD UP YOUR ANTIOXIDANTS

Here is your chance to see if your daily diet includes at least one food source of each antioxidant nutrient. If not, you can select favorite antioxidant-rich foods from the lists below to add to your daily meal plan.

Look over the lists below for examples of foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene.
Place a check mark by EACH food you ate yesterday. If you ate several of the listed foods, be sure to check all of them. If yesterday’s food pattern was not typical, choose another day.
Note the serving size for each food. These are the recommended serving sizes from USDA’s Food Guide Pyramid. Are these serving sizes more or less than you normally eat?

Vitamin C-rich Foods
O Asparagus – ½ cup cooked
O Broccoli – ½ cup cooked
O Brussels sprouts – ½ cup cooked
O Cantaloupe – ½ cup cubed
O Cranberry juice – ¾ cup
O Kiwi – 1 fruit
O Papaya – ½ cup cubed O Orange juice – ¾ cup
O Orange – 1 fruit
O Pepper, sweet red – ¼ cup fresh
O Potato, baked – 1 medium
O Spinach – 1 cup fresh
O Strawberries – ½ cup
O Vegetable juice – ¾ cup
Vitamin E-rich Foods
O Almonds – 1/3 cup
O Fortified cereals. Brands vary. Check the label
O Hazelnuts (filberts) – 1/3 cup
O Spinach – ½ cup cooked or 1 cup fresh O Sweet potato – 1 medium
O Sunflower seeds – 1/3 cup
O Vegetable oils* (use sparingly)
O Wheat germ – toasted, ¼ cup
*Cooking oils (olive oil, safflower, canola, etc.) can be “counted” as part of your vitamin E intake.
Beta Carotene-rich Foods
O Cantaloupe – ½ cup cubed
O Carrots – ½ cup, raw or cooked
O Collard greens – ½ cup cooked
O Kale – ½ cup cooked
O Mango – ½ cup
O Mixed vegetables – ½ cup cooked
O Mustard greens – ½ cup cooked O Peas & carrots – ½ cup cooked
O Pumpkin – ½ cup mashed, canned
O Spinach – ½ cup cooked or 1 cup fresh
O Squash, butternut – ½ cup cooked
O Sweet potato – 1 medium
O Swiss chard – ½ cup cooked
O Vegetable juice – ¾ cup