What the heck is an antioxidant and why should we eat them daily??

Consider antioxidants as our body’s police officers. Their role in the body is to protect us from potentially harmful robbers -AKA free radicals (who steal electrons from atoms which makeup our body). Free radicals do have some benefits to our health as our body produces its own to help fight off evil!  For example, the liver uses free radicals to help detoxify and eliminate harmful waste from the body. Also, white blood cells use free radicals to help fight viruses and bacteria. The problem with free radicals is when they become overly abundant in the body and are not being utilized for a specific role. This is typically caused by eating a highly processed diet or living in a toxically overburdened environment. Over time these “unemployed free loading radicals” can cause oxidative damage to our cells, weaken our immune system and ultimately cause disease.

Fear not!!!

Good news is that by incorporating antioxidant rich foods into our diet regularly we can strengthen our immune system, optimize our health and ultimately reduce oxidative damage to ourselves. Also… our body has the ability to make its own antioxidants as back up body guards 🙂

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Long-term health benefits of eating antioxidant rich foods, herbs, teas, and supplements:

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• Anti aging benefits: skin, eyes, tissue, joints, heart and brain
• Reduces risk of disease : cancer, heart disease, stroke, dementia, macular degeneration, cataracts
• Helps to support our body’s natural ability to detoxify & eliminate waste

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Top 10 Antioxidant Rich foods 

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1. Golgi Berries
2. Wild Blueberries
3. Dark chocolate
4. Pecans
5. Artichokes
6. Elderberries
7. Kidney Beans
8. Cranberries
9. Blackberries
10. Cilantro

Other great sources of antioxidants are in foods like tomatoes, carrots, pumpkin seeds, sweet potatoes, pomegranates, strawberries, kale, broccoli, grapes, squash, and wild salmon.

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“Beet” The Heat – Summer Smoothie Bowl

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Ingredients:

• ½ cup frozen blueberries
• 1 small beet (chopped up)
• 1 cup kale
• ½ cup cucumber
• ¼ avocado
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp cacao butter
• 1 cup almond mylk ( or DF milk of choice)
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro (option to omit)

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender.
2. Add more almond mylk or water until consistency is thick and creamy.

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Optional Toppings:

• Fresh pomegranate seeds
• Golgi berries
• Pecans
• Pumpkin seeds
• Hemp hearts

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References:

https://draxe.com/top-10-high-antioxidant-foods/