It’s no secret that antioxidants are incredibly beneficial to good health. It’s believed the antioxidants in food can help prevent cancer, reverse or slow aging, enhance your immune system, increase your energy and improve heart and other organ health.
Given all we know about antioxidants and their beneficial properties, it’s amazing more people don’t get enough fruits and vegetables, the primary sources of antioxidants. While it is recommended that you get a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, for optimal health, but say getting 9-13 servings is best.
Here are 10 ways to getting more antioxidants into your diet.
1. Breakfast: Breakfast doesn’t have to be a hurried toaster tart on the way out the door. Throw some strawberries, green powder blend, water and yogurt into a blender and make yourself a delicious smoothie to go. You’ve just added two to three servings of fruits and vegetables to your daily intake. Or throw some berries onto your cold or hot cereal. Say you truly have no time in the morning and usually grab something on the run. Prep the smoothie the night before and refrigerate it so it’s ready for you in the morning.
2. Snacks: Here’s an easy way to get more antioxidants in your diet. How about a handful of raisins, a couple of dates, or some fresh red grapes for your snack? Dip some strawberries in yogurt. You’ll feel decadent, but the berries provide the color you’re looking for. Need crunch? How about some baby carrots or celery dipped in hummus? Consider a handful of pecans for crunch and a nice antioxidant boost.
3. Lunch and dinner: It might sound trite, but adding a salad to each of your main daily meals can add loads to your overall health and well-being. They don’t have to be boring, and they don’t have to be just salad greens. If you’re going classic, add some red pepper slices to your green salad, some tomatoes to the Greek salad, or tart cranberries to your field greens. Whip up a broccoli salad for lunch, or be adventurous and mix up a rice salad with a mélange of fresh vegetables like string beans, tomatoes, peppers and red onions.
4. Dessert: Berries are a wonderful way to end your day of healthy, antioxidant-rich eating.
5. Beverages: Replace your soda with tea or coffee, both of which boast antioxidant compounds. Enjoy refreshing cup of chilled green tea or green coffee fruit tea.
6. Think outside the box We know we can get our antioxidant fix from fruits like berries, apples, cruciferous and leafy vegetables. Powerful antioxidants can also be found in a variety of unexpected foods such as, russet potatoes, artichokes, and small red beans. The beans, in fact, may have more antioxidant power than blueberries. So add some beans to your rice or quinoa salad and with the other vegetables, your bowl is loaded with even more antioxidants.
7. Cook lightly: You think you’re being good, preparing vegetables each night for your family’s dinner. But if you’re overcooking the vegetables, you’re cooking out a lot of the beneficial properties of the antioxidants. Steam vegetables to keep all of their bright color and their crunch.
8. Plant a garden: People who plant and harvest vegetables from their own yards are far more likely to eat more vegetables and fruits than people who buy their produce from the store. So plant a garden, watch it grow and eat the fruits (literally) of your labor.
9. Take your healthy diet on vacation: Too many of us consider going on vacation an opportunity to take a vacation from everything, including healthy eating. Think of vacation as a way to be introduced to new foods. Order an interesting vegetable dish in a restaurant and then pay attention to how the chef prepared the dish.
10. Learn to cook: If you’re cooking, you’re not opening bags and boxes. Cooking involves scrubbing and peeling vegetables, preparing whole foods and paying attention to how things are cooked. If you’re ordering out every night, you’re far less likely to be eating the whole foods and natural fruits and vegetables that provide the base for our antioxidant intake.