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A Special Advertising Section March 28, 2013
Nutrition & Wellness for Life Healthy and youthful from the inside out
Preventing disease and aging with antioxidant-rich foods By Desiree Lanz
W
hen perusing the aisles at groceries for healthconscious choices, it may be overwhelming to discern between the many products available.
Labels on products from beverages to snacks to body lotions promise the benefit of antioxidants, but being informed about antioxidants, what exactly they are, where to find them and how they work in the body can help ensure that one’s diet obtains the maximum advantage from them. With March known these days as National Nutrition Month, it’s a good time to remind ourselves about the importance of healthy eating and impact of antioxidant-rich foods on our overall health and longevity. “To understand why antioxidants are important, you must first know what free radicals are,” says Stacey Whittle, a registered dietitian and cofounder of Healthy by Design Nutrition Specialists. “In regards to the human body, free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that can
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damage our cells and organs. They are responsible for aging, tissue damage and possibly the cause of disease. The chemical reactions responsible for breathing and eating create free radicals.” Environmental causes of free radicals include stress, air pollution, processed foods, prescription and recreational drugs, smoking and industrial chemicals. She says one’s health is at risk when the amount of free radicals is greater than what the body can handle, causing aging and disease. “This sounds grim, but we aren’t helpless against free radicals,” Whittle says. The body makes numerous molecules that suppress free radicals, and the body also extracts free-radical fighters from food, she explains. These
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defenders, often called antioxidants, are phytochemicals (plant chemicals), vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. They can be found in most fruits and vegetables, but culinary herbs and medicinal herbs can also contain high levels of antioxidants. According to Whittle, the most commonly known antioxidants are: Vitamin A and carotenoids: Found in brightly colored fruits and vegetables, such as apricots, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, collards, kale, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, etc. Vitamin C: Found in fruits, such as oranges, tangerines and other citrus fruits, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, tomatoes, bell peppers, green leafy vegetables and tomatoes. Vitamin E: Found in nuts and seeds, whole grains and green leafy
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