Foods rich in antioxidants | Mark’s Daily Apple

We’re all supposed to have a ‘healthy diet’, but what does that really mean? Right off the bat, you probably think you’ve had enough of protein and fatty acids (especially Omega 3), as well as important vitamins and minerals. But there’s also the less obvious: things like prebiotics and, the subject of today’s post, antioxidants.

Antioxidants, as I said before, defends the body against damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that strike, stealing electrons from other molecules and causing DNA damage and oxidative stress. When free radicals run amok, the damage they cause contributes to premature aging and chronic disease.

The role of antioxidants is to limit the formation of free radicals and to neutralize them when their number becomes too high. Plant and animal foods provide important antioxidant vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, carotenoids and other substances that the body cannot produce on its own. To cover your antioxidant bases, since there’s no way to avoid free radicals, here are some antioxidant-rich foods to include in your diet.

How do you measure antioxidant levels in foods?

Some antioxidants are quite easy to quantify. You can use any food tracking app to find the amounts of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E that you consume in a day.

Others, like antioxidant enzymes, are much more complex. Scientists have developed various methods to measure the total antioxidant capacity of foods. You have your crocin bleaching test (CBA), trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), total oxyradical scavenging capacity (TOSC) test, ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), DPPH test, and many others. (Don’t worry, there won’t be a quiz later.)

The best known antioxidant index is the ORAC score. ORAC, or Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, was developed by scientists at the National Institute on Aging in 1992. Despite its popularity, the USDA discontinued ORAC in 2012, on the grounds that ORAC does not not necessarily predict the amount of antioxidant activity that occurs in the body. and to discourage supplement manufacturers from making strong claims about the potency of their antioxidant formulations.

Nonetheless, researchers continue to use ORAC, and it remains the best way for the average person to research which foods have relatively higher or lower antioxidant content. Don’t dwell too much on the numbers, though. Whether these foods actually boost your body’s ability to fight free radicals is still up for debate. Many factors likely come into play, including how much of these compounds you take in and how fresh the food you eat.

In my opinion, the best reason to consider antioxidant values ​​is that you will probably end up revisiting some otherwise nutritious foods that you may not already be eating. Foods that tend to score high on antioxidant parameters are also those widely considered healthy by other standards – colorful vegetables and fruits, organ meats, seafood.

List of superfoods: foods rich in antioxidants

Antioxidant-Rich Plant Foods

Plant foods tend to be higher in antioxidants than animal products, although the latter are still important to check some antioxidant boxes. “Eating the Rainbow” will provide you with a good array of vitamins, minerals and other antioxidants. You can also intentionally add antioxidant-rich foods into the mix.

Here are 12 plant-based foods and drinks that can boost your antioxidant intake. (based on a combination of ORAC and FRAP scores):

1. Berries
2. Coffee
3. Chocolate (the darker the better)
4. Chia seeds
5. Artichokes
6. Plums and prunes
7. Pistachios
8. Grenade
9. Figs
10. Kalamata olives
11. kale
12. Green tea

If you are lucky enough to have rose hips or rowan berries in your area, include those as well.

Antioxidant-Rich Pet Foods

In absolute terms, the antioxidant capacity of these foods is lower than that of the plant foods above. However, these animal foods are some of the best sources of the trace minerals copper, selenium, iron, manganese and zinc, as well as other antioxidants like lutein which are crucial building blocks for the body’s immune system. antioxidant defense of the body.

1. Liver
2. Oysters
3. Salmon
4. Crab
5. Lamb
6. Beef
7. Eggs
8. Molds
9. Tuna
10. Sardines

What you say? Do you think about antioxidants when developing your meal plan, or is that not really a consideration for you? What are your favorite antioxidant-rich foods?

About the Author

Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, the patron of the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for life, where he explains how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is also the author of many other books, including The primordial planwho was credited with spurring the growth of the primal/paleo movement in 2009. Having spent three decades researching and educating people about why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining wellness optimal, Mark launched Primal Kitchena real food company that creates Primal/paleo, keto and Whole30 cooking staples.

If you want to add an avatar to all your comments, click here!