10 ways to get more antioxidants

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.

Experts recommend a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, but say getting 7-10 servings is best.

There are 10 steps 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, 100% juice and yogurt into a blender; pour your delicious mixture into a cup and head out the door. You’ve just added one to three servings of fruits 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. Don’t do that.

2.Snacks

Here’s an easy way to get more antioxidants in your diet. How about a handful of raisins for a snack, or some fresh red grapes? Put 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 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, with or without whipped cream or chocolate 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. Have a glass of wine with dinner, or for a real change of pace, pour a glass of chai tea.

6.Think outside the box

We know we can get our antioxidant fix from berries, salads and the like, but researchers say powerful antioxidants can also be found in a variety of unexpected foods, like russet potatoes, artichokes, and small red beans. The beans, in fact, may have more antioxidant power than blueberries, experts say. So to your rice salad full of vegetables, add some beans for 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 (don’t boil) vegetables, and stop cooking them when they will have all of their bright color and most of their bite.

8.Plant a garden

Experts believe that 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.

Why garlic is so healthy?

If garlic had been created in the laboratory instead of by nature, it would probably be a high-priced prescription drug.
A Common Saying that everyone knows..That’s just how good it really is…

Garlic is one of the oldest known medicinal plants, and it’s been credited with fighting heart disease, lowering blood pressure and helping to fight off colds.


In fact, garlic has been used medicinally for at least 3,000 years, but until relatively recently its benefits were considered little more than folklore. According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the therapeutic roles of garlic have been described in more than 1,000 scientific studies.

Cooking with garlic

Most of the modern research on garlic has concentrated on its ability to lower cholesterol and blood pressure as well as offering protection against strokes and heart disease.

The following is a more detailed account of what garlic does for various organs in the human body:

1. Protection of the liver from toxic substances: Garlic activates the cells of the liver and thereby protects the liver from toxic substances; it also rejuvenates a tired liver and promotes its normal functioning.

2. Improvement of blood circulation: When allicin is heated in the process of cooking the garlic, a substance called ?ajoene” is formed. This substance has a suppressive effect on thrombi and blood cholesterol, so it is effective for the treatment of atherosclerosis and thrombosis.

3. Regulation of stomach function: Allicin promotes the secretion of gastric juices by stimulating the mucous membranes of the stomach; furthermore, it combines with proteins which can reduce excessive activity of the stomach. In addition, allicin reglates the functioning of the stomach by activating the large intestine and thus cure both constipation and diarrhea.

4. Promotion of insulin secretion: Allicin combines with vitamin B1 (thiamine) to activate the function of the pancreas and thus promote insulin secretion. As a result, garlic is effective in the prevention or the cure of diabetes that is caused by a lack of insulin or by the defective functioning of the pancreas.

5. Normalization of blood circulation: Because it stimulates the brain nerves and controls the workings of the heart at a constant level, garlic stabilizes blood pressure. It is also capable of dissolving cholesterol and fatty substances inside blood vessels and therefore refreshing cells and the blood inside the body.

Today, there is worldwide scientific evidence to support the many health benefits that can be derived from the daily consumption of garlic.

* Extensive tests on humans have concluded that a regular intake of garlic can:

* Lower total cholesterol (but raise the good-type HDL cholesterol)

* Produce more “natural killer” cells in the blood that will tackle infections and tumours

* Lower blood pressure

* Reduce the risk of blood clots (that are responsible for most heart attacks and strokes)

* Destroy infection causing viruses and bacteria

Garlic is classified as both an herb and a vegetable. It can be found in products ranging from ice cream to dry rubs; the versatility of this herb is seemingly endless.
Tips for cooking with garlic:

1. Before cooking, remove the exterior skin of the clove. There are many ways to do this: strike the bulb with the broad side of a kitchen knife, use a rubber garlic rolling tube, soak the garlic in lukewarm water for 30 minutes or dip the cloves into boiling water for 30 seconds.

2. After skinning the garlic, select a cooking method that will result in the appropriate flavor. It can be create a nutty, savory taste; poached to create a mild flavor; oven-roasted to bring out the nutty flavor with a caramelized quality; fried to create a crisp exterior; or grilled to create a soft, smoky flavor.

3. Garlic is very sensitive to heat and will burn easily, especially when sautéing. Expose the garlic to heat just until the oil sizzles and then remove it. When cooking garlic with onions, start the onions first. They will take longer to cook.

Benefits of Garlic: Cancer Prevention

Indeed, the first scientific report to study garlic and cancer was performed in the 1950s. Scientists injected allicin, an active ingredient from garlic, into mice suffering from cancer. Mice receiving the injection survived more than 6 months whereas those which did not receive the injection only survived 2 months.

What is gluten allergy?

News about the harmful effects caused by gluten allergy has caused many people to completely remove gluten (wheat) from their diet. However, much of the alarm over gluten allergy and gluten intolerance is unnecessary, not to mention unfounded, since a lot of aspects of these two conditions remain largely misunderstood.


First, what is gluten?

Gluten is an elastic, rubbery protein commonly found in wheat and wheat products. It can also be found in rye, barley, and, to a lesser degree, oats. But gluten can’t be found in rice or maize.

Have you noticed how breads and other baked goods are doughy before they are subjected to heat? The substance that causes that “doughy” characteristic is actually gluten. Gluten also contributes to spongy consistency.

But take note that gluten is only one of the many proteins contained in wheat, rye, and barley. Like all other foods, these foods contain a number of other proteins, which could all cause adverse reactions, including allergies. In addition, many wheat products contain other ingredients and preservatives. Any of these could cause allergic reactions. So what you believe to be gluten allergy could well turn out to be a completely different reaction to substances other than gluten or wheat.

What types of adverse reactions are possible?

Gluten could cause several adverse reactions besides gluten allergy. It is often blamed for intolerance (in this case, wheat intolerance, gluten intolerance, and Coeliac disease). But keep in mind that different mechanisms cause different adverse reactions.

Often, the cause of the confusion is in the similarities of the symptoms. But while gluten intolerance often causes painful symptoms, it rarely is life-threatening. The worst that could happen with gluten intolerance is migraines and bloating or skin rashes.

On the other hand, gluten allergy is largely immunological and, in extreme cases, could lead to death or a condition called anaphylaxis. The symptoms of gluten allergy include swelling of the lips and tongue, red rash, asthma, and urthicaria or hives.

How does gluten allergy occur?

The allergy occurs after the immune system produces large quantities of the antibody immunoglobulin E (IgE) which binds themselves with mast and basil cells, producing inflammation-causing histamine.

The first time your body encounters gluten, it doesn’t yet react adversely to it, but the immune system tags it as a “bad” substance and keeps track of its codes for its own records, in a process called sensitization. The next time gluten is introduced in the body, your sensitized immune system goes on overdrive and starts mass producing IgE, which again bind themselves with mast cells, prompting the release of histamine.

Clinical experience suggests that this type of allergy is relatively uncommon. However, there are no accurate figures for prevalence. The symptoms could occur within minutes or a few hours after eating or inhaling gluten-containing foods. The more common symptoms include the skin: hives, eczema, angioedema or swelling. It could also affect the gastrointestinal tract, causing abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and oral allergy syndromes, and the respiratory tract (asthma or allergic rhinitis).