What are antioxidants?
Antioxidants refer to health protective compounds found in plant based-foods. An antioxidant can be a:
- Vitamin such vitamins C and E.
- Phytochemical such as flavonoids or carotenoids.
- Mineral such as selenium.
Antioxidants can slow down, even stop damage to the body’s cells where diseases such as heart disease and cancer can start or become worse.
What foods have antioxidants?
You will find antioxidants in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, vegetable oils, red wine and green tea. It may be even more beneficial when these foods are eaten together. So add a variety of vegetables to your stir fry, soups and salads or load up your whole grain pizza with veggie toppings. It’s that easy.
| Foods that may help prevent cancer
Try working some of these foods into your everyday meals:
- Broccoli – in soup, stir fry, steamed, or raw with a dip
- Cabbage – in cabbage rolls, coleslaw, soup, steamed or in a stir fry
- Strawberries – fresh or frozen over vanilla yogurt, in a fruit salad, tossed into green salad
- Blueberries – mixed with strawberries, blended into a smoothie, baked in muffins
- Garlic – add to tomato based sauces or to a stir fry
- Japanese Green tea – choose over a coffee or black tea
- Turmeric (spice) – add to Indian dishes, pasta, soups and salad dressing
- Soybeans – Lightly boil and eat right out of the pods, frozen are a good choice too
- Tomatoes – make tomato based sauces with a little oil
- Citrus – add to salads and serve with snacks
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*Source: Foods that Fight Cancer, Richard Beliveau, Ph.D., and Denis Gingras Ph.D., 2006
Do I need to take antioxidant supplements?
No. The research to date shows that you are better off getting your antioxidants from your food. Before taking any supplements, play it safe and always talk it over with your doctor.
Simple strategies to get more antioxidants
You can eat a diet that is rich in antioxidants by following Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide. Here are some smart and simple strategies to make it work:
At home:
- Serve colourful vegetables. Tempt hungry kids (and adults too) by serving a tray of veggies and dip whenever they are hungriest.
- Go for whole grains. Buy whole grain cereals, breads, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat couscous, brown rice and barley.
- Substitute beans for meat and poultry in recipes.
- Fill up on vegetables and fruit. Try to fill half your plate with vegetables and or fruits at each meal. Have a fruit or vegetable with each snack too.
- Enjoy a small handful of nuts (60 mL or ¼ cup) in salads, over cereal or yogurt.
- Choose the whole fruit over the juice most often. Often the best health benefits come from the edible skin or peel. (Remember to wash it!)
Eating out:
- Ask for whole grain, multigrain or whole grain whole wheat pizza crusts, sub buns and burger buns.
- Choose whole wheat pasta instead of regular white pasta.
- Order vegetable-based dishes. How about a stir fry, soup, salad or a vegetable side dish?
- Order a vegetarian dish. Try a dish with beans, tofu or soy beans.
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