Nowadays, everyone has heard of the term “antioxidants” and how important they are for our health…but what do they do exactly?
Antioxidants are vital in the protection against free radical damage to our bodies. Free radicals can enter our bodies through the food we eat if it contains pesticides, as well as alcohol, cigarettes, radiation, pollution, and more. Once in, they can cause oxidative damage to our organs, even potentially causing cancer cells to grow. Antioxidants can actually help destroy these free radicals, leading to less harm on your body and boosting your overall health.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, which explains why we are always told to take it when we get the flu! Foods containing vitamin C and other antioxidants include:
Interesting tip – fruits and vegetables that usually have a deep, intense coloring such as oranges, purples, reds, blues and greens, usually mean that they have a high amount of antioxidants!
If you are looking to increase your antioxidant intake, check out these tasty recipes you can try at home!:
BEET AND CARROT SMOOTHIE:
Add ½ a medium sized organic beet (peeled), 2 medium organic carrots, 1 tbsp honey, 1 handful organic spinach, ½ an organic banana and your choice of almond milk or water to a blender, and blend until smooth. Poor into a glass and enjoy!
TRAIL MIX:
Mix together 1 C each of Mike & Mike’s snack almonds, cashews, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, ½ C goji berries, ¼ C coconut flakes and add to a mason jar to snack on for the week!
SUPER GREEN SALAD:
Mix a handful of organic kale, a handful of organic spinach, ¼ C walnuts, ¼ C dried cranberries, ¼ C pumpkin seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, black pepper in a bowl and serve as a side salad or add a lean protein to make it an easy lunch!
