The quick answer: Antioxidants are vital to your health, but you need to get them from a variety of whole plant foods (like the fruits above).
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Biggest Dietary Mistakes of the Last Century
Over breakfast with the Beautiful Wife, I attempted to reduce the nutrition disaster of the 20th Century into four simple but deadly steps:
- Whole grains were robbed of their most nutritious parts when the modern roller mill replaced the old stone mills. (The bran and germ, rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc., were removed to make a finer, sweeter, longer-lasting industrial product.)
- White sugar became cheap and plentiful so replaced natural sweeteners (honey, maple syrup) that had limited supply. Our consumption of added sugar addictively increased all through the 20th Century. (Sugar now provides 15% of the U.S. daily calorie intake.)
- Traditional fats like butter, olive oil, and lard were replaced with chemically refined and hydrogenated seed oils. (Examples: Crisco, margarine, and salad oils such as soybean oil.)
- Packaged convenience foods (think of those cardboard boxes of macaroni and cheese) took the place of whole foods—especially fresh vegetables—and learning to cook didn’t seem that important anymore.
There you have it—the modern nutrition disaster in four steps.
The Fire Within
Here’s a different way to look at the 20th Century nutrition disaster: The billions of cells in your body produce energy by burning a fuel derived from blood sugar (it’s called ATP). The process is by oxidation, it keeps you alive, but there’s a problem—a toxic byproduct called free radicals is released.
Fortunately there’s a solution to free radicals—antioxidants from a healthy diet neutralize the free radicals so problem solved. Antioxidants are richly found in whole plant foods (they protect the plant from the sun’s harsh UV rays). Processed foods are deficient in these vital antioxidants—unfortunately the average American gets 2/3 of their calories from processed foods. See the problem?
Bottom line: If you eat lots of whole plant foods, you’ll get plenty of antioxidants, free radicals will be neutralized, and you’ll have lots of energy, be healthier, and look younger. It’s a virtuous cycle.
If you eat a diet full of sugar and other processed foods, you fall into a vicious cycle and become easy prey for the chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, etc.
Foods Rich in Antioxidants
Whole foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts) are a rich source of antioxidants. (Processed foods, as noted, are not.) Antioxidants play a protective role in plants, protecting them against UV damage from the sun. There are many types of antioxidants and more are being discovered. Here are some common sources:
- Vitamins: The vitamins A, C and E, common to plants, are powerful antioxidants.
- Minerals: The minerals in food, like selenium, are antioxidants. (This may be why Brazil nuts, rich in selenium, are protective of prostate cancer.)
- Food: Different food groups produce different kinds of antioxidant so it’s a good idea to eat a varied diet. The skin of berries, for example, is loaded with antioxidants.
- Sleep: The body also produces antioxidants. Melatonin, produced when we sleep, is a potent antioxidant.
Antioxidants in Pill Form
If the vitamins A, C and E are potent antioxidants, is it good to take vitamin pills? Recent research doesn’t find a benefit to taking antioxidants in pill form and has even found harm.
The most recent study, testing whether vitamin E could reduce the growth of cancer cells, was a disaster. It turned out that the vitamin pills helped cancer (in mice) grow even faster. Read about it here.
Comment: Do you eat whole fruit, and avoid processed fruits (sugary fruit drinks, sugared dried fruits)? Share your experience with a whole, antioxidant rich, diet. What fruit goes on your breakfast? Do you make fruits your snack? Currently navel oranges are in season, but strawberries are on the way.