age is really just a number

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 ten steps to getting more antioxidants into your diet.

1. Breakfast

Breakfast doesn’t have to be a hurried toasted waffle 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 added one to three servings of fruits to your daily intake. Or throw some berries onto your cold or hot cereal.

Say you have no time in the morning and usually grab something on the run. Even the Golden Arches can be of some help here. Order a fruit and yogurt parfait and some apple slices. For about $2, you have a breakfast providing one to two servings of fruit.

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? Dip some strawberries into 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 your daily meals can improve 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

With or without whipped cream or chocolate, Berries are an excellent way to end your day of healthy, antioxidant-rich eating.

5. Beverages

Replace your soda with tea or coffee, which boast antioxidant compounds. Have a glass of wine with dinner, or pour a glass of chai tea for a real change of pace. 

6. Think outside the box

We know we can get our antioxidant fix from berries, salads, and the like. Still, researchers say potent antioxidants are found in various unexpected foods, like russet potatoes, artichokes, and small red beans. The beans 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 many of the antioxidants’ beneficial properties. Steam (don’t boil) vegetables, and stop cooking them when they have all their bright color and most of their bite. 

8. Plant a garden

Experts believe that people who plant and harvest vegetables from their 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 consider going on vacation an opportunity to take a break 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.

When in doubt, supplements can also help…

And journaling really keeps you on track…