Antioxidants Kick Butt When It Comes To Aging

Antioxidants are one of the 8 age-defying benefits we look for in the foods we highlight in my cookbooks and on FoodTrients. My goal is to create delicious dishes packed with the nutrients that help us look and feel younger, and antioxidants are an important part of many of my recipes.

So what exactly are antioxidants?

Virtually every fruit and vegetable contains antioxidants, and antioxidants are powerful phytonutrients that help our bodies fight free radicals. Free radicals damage the body’s cells and are a major contributor to loss of cognitive function and the diseases of aging. When we eat antioxidant-rich foods, it’s like throwing water on the fire caused by free radicals.

What are some of the best foods we should be eating to fight Free Radicals?

There are tons of great antioxidant foods, but here are 10 of my favorites that are particularly high in nutrients, and easy to incorporate into your daily food routine. Check out the recipes below, too:
 

ALMONDS & BRAZIL NUTS

• Good for your brain (and fighting Alzheimer’s)
• Supports your bones (fighting osteoporosis)
• Good for your heart
• Boost your Immune strength
• Helps your complexion/skin
• Also fight inflammation
• Helps regulate blood pressure
• Boosts energy
• Fights cancer

CARROTS

• Prevents heart diseases
• Improves eyesight/fights macular degeneration
• Reduces blood pressure
• Regulates blood sugar levels
• Reduces risk of cancer and stroke
• Boosts immune system
• Maintains digestive health

CITRUS FRUIT, ESPECIALLY PINK GRAPEFRUIT

• Fights infection
• Supports heart health
• Boosts weight loss
• Helps prevent cancer
• Pink Grapefruit, particularly, is a great anti-aging food

RED AND ORANGE PEPPERS

• Fiber and Vitamin E help protect against diabetes
• Supports your heart
• Helps prevent common eye diseases (cataracts, macular degeneration)
• Fights cancer

RED GRAPES

• Helps good cholesterol
• Helps fight cancer
• Supports strong Bones (Vitamin K)
• Helps digestion (fiber)
• May help memory function

WINTER SQUASH (BUTTERNUT, ACORN, PUMPKIN)

• Good for hair, skin, and eyes
• Helps your heart
• Fights cancer
• Boosts immune system
• Fiber helps curb appetite

SUNFLOWER SEEDS

• Improves digestion
• Supports brain and heart health
• Good for skin and hair
• Magnesium aids bones

SWEET POTATOES/YAMS

• Inhibits cancer and tumor growth
• Fights inflammation
• Lowers cholesterol and risk of heart disease
• Boosts immune system

TOMATO PASTE, SAUCE, AND JUICE

• Fights cancer
• Aids cognitive function
• Helps blood pressure
• Regulates blood sugar

SHELLFISH

• Helps fight cancer
• Aids in reducing plaque in arteries
• Boosts immune system
• Supports joints, fights arthritis

Now, if you’re ready to try some tasty recipes loaded with antioxidants, here are two for you.  Look for more in the Recipe section and in my Age Beautifully Cookbook.

Heart-friendly yams are tarted up with lime juice and shredded coconut in this festive side dish. Serve it with lamb or my Ostrich Meatballs (Age Beautifully Cookbook). It also goes well with turkey, pork, and meatloaf.

Tropical Yams

SERVES 2-4

Ingredients

2 cups cubed yams or sweet potatoes, peeled
1 Tbs. coconut oil
½ tsp. salt or salt substitute
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice (and/or thin slices of key lime)
¼ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup shredded coconut

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Toss the yams with the oil and salt, place in a single layer in a baking dish, and roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and toss with the lime juice and/or lime slices.
Roast for another 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and toss with the pecans and coconut.
Bake for about 5 more minutes or until the coconut is toasted and the yams are soft.

This Detox Juice will help rid your system of heavy metals, cleanse your liver, and clean out your colon. The chlorophyll in watercress helps to purify the blood of toxins. If you can’t get fresh watercress, you can use spirulina powder in its place. The watercress adds a spicy tartness to the juice. The beets are to sweeten up the mixture and give it a beautiful color, but they bring disease-preventing anthocyanins to the glass as well along with nitrate which reduces blood pressure and iron. The vitamin C in the oranges helps the liver function optimally. And the fiber powder will take care of the colon.

Detox Juice

Serves 2-3 Drinks

Ingredients

1 cup watercress (can substitute 2 Tbsp. spirulina powder)
4 beets (peel on) stem and root removed, cut in pieces
4 oranges (peel on) cut in pieces
8 ounces water
2 Tbs. fiber powder

1. Place watercress, beets, and oranges in a juicer.
2. Stir the fiber powder into the water until it dissolves completely.
3. Mix the fiber water into the juice