Antioxidants

Antioxidants

“Blueberries are good for you because they have lots of antioxidants.”
“…oh, I’ve heard that. What’s an antioxidant?”
“…umm, stuff that’s good for you that’s in blueberries…it like, helps you age slower…”
“Yeah but what is it? Is it like a vitamin or something?”
“…umm, I dunno…yeah probably.”

Ok, so I know lots of you have heard of “antioxidants” before, and we’ve all seen the word written all over boxes of food and bottled drinks and lord knows what else (clever marketers). But how many of you have heard someone tell you that they are good for you, and be able to explain what it actually is? I bet you’d have a similar conversation to the one above with half of Americans who preach antioxidants daily. I want you to start thinking of nutrition as science, because that’s exactly what it is, and when we think from a science angle – you have to keep asking why, how, what, where, etc.

Big, long scientific terms like “macronutrient”, “polyunsaturated”, “glycogenolysis” and “antioxidant” are really just big words for simple meanings. For instance, “macro” means “big” and “nutrient” refers obviously to the nutrition present – so a macronutrient is just a nutrient that we need in large quantities in our body. Similarly, “anti” means “against, or opposed to” and “oxidant” refers to the process of oxidation (when a molecular process in the body causes and increase in oxygen). So an antioxidant would be what? Something (a molecule) that stops the process of oxidation. See, learning isn’t so bad!

Ok, so we know that an antioxidant is a molecule that stops the process of oxidation. What’s the next question?

What is oxidation? And why do we need to stop it?
Oxidation is a chemical reaction that happens inside our bodies and outside our bodies daily. In the process, electrons are transferred, which increases the oxygen present. Some oxidation reactions can produce free-radicals, which are molecules with unpaired electrons. Since electrons are being moved from one substrate to another during oxidation, some can be left unpaired, causing the molecule or element to be highly reactive. These free-radicals running around can kick start a chain of events causing damage to cells in our body. Damaged cells inside the body are not good, and have been linked to chronic disease states and illness, including cancer.

What antioxidants do, is they go in and fill in that missing electron, making the free-radical whole again. So you can imagine with pollution in the air, chemicals and pesticides in the water we drink and food we eat, sun damage to our skin, there is a lot of cell damage that happens to our bodies that leave plenty of free-radicals running around. The point is, we need lots of antioxidants!

Where can you find antioxidants?
Tufts University did an ORAC analysis (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) on common fruits and veggies. Here are the top picks based on ORAC units per 100 grams (about 3.5 oz).

Fruits
Prunes -- 5570
Raisins -- 2830
Blueberries -- 2400
Blackberries -- 2036
Strawberries -- 1540
Raspberries -- 1220
Plums -- 949
Oranges -- 750
Red grapes -- 739
Cherries -- 670
Kiwi fruit -- 602
Grapefruit, pink -- 483

Veggies
Kale -- 11770
Spinach -- 11260
Brussels sprout -- 1980
Alfalfa sprouts -- 1930
Broccoli Flowers -- 1890
Beets -- 1840
Red bell pepper -- 1710
Onion -- 1450
Corn -- 1400
Eggplant -- 1390


Now, its not just the antioxidants in the foods that will help repair cell damage, but the combination of essential vitamins and minerals with antioxidants that will lead to an overall healthier life.

Go eat some antioxidants and enjoy!

Blessings,
Ashley