FOODY FRIday: Antioxidants~Eating a Rainbow

And I don’t mean the skittles candy! As your body continues to train, the more oxygen you will use, which causes your body to form “free radicals”, the byproducts of oxidation that can wreak havoc into the workings of your cells, especially those in your musculoskeletal system.
To offset this unavoidable process, you need antioxidants, both for recovery from your workouts and for preventing or at least limiting, osteoarthritis, tendinopathy, and other bone and joint problems.

So how do you get all that fighting power into your diet? Happily, many of the great sources are quite tasty and easy to work into your daily foods. But to get it right, you need to cover the whole spectrum of colors -pigment power, they call it- because different fruits and vegetables have different nutrients. Some pack a bigger punch through their higher natural concentrations of micronutrients. Hence the idea, to eat a rainbow.

RED: Tomatoes (but especially cooked tomatoes), as well as pink grapefruit and watermelon. These contain carotenoid lycopene, an antioxidant known to protect against prostate cancer, lung cancer and heart disease.
DARKER RED TO PURPLE: Blueberries, strawberries, plums, red apples (be sure to eat the skin!), beets, eggplant, red cabbage and red peppers. These provide anthocyanins, which help prevent blood clots.
REDDISH ORANGE: Carrots, mangoes, cantaloupe, winter squash, and sweet potatoes. They have beta-carotene that protects the skin against free radical damange and promotes repair of DNA.
YELLOW-ORANGE: Oranges, peaches, papaya, and nectarines. They have beta crytothanxin, which helps cellular communication and fights heart disease.
YELLOW/GREEN: Spinach, corn, green peas, avocado, and honeydew melon contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (a cause of blindness).
GREEN: Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale and bok choy. These contain sulforaphane, isocyanate, and indoles, which help fight against cancer.
WHITE/GREEN: Garlic, onions, leeks, celery, asparagus, pears and green grapes, including those used in white wine (NOT an excuse to drink a whole bottle please!). These contain allicin, which fights tumors and antioxidant flavonoids such as quercetin and kaemferol.

**BEST FOODS FOR ANTIOXIDANTS**
Nutrition scientists at the US.Department of Agriculture (USDA) used the latest technologies available to identify the foods that contain the most antioxidants per serving. Here they are, ranked from most antioxidants per serving to least:
1-small red beans (dried)
2-wild blueberries
3-red kidney beans
4-pinto beans
5-blueberries (cultivated)
6-cranberries
7-artichokes (cooked)
8-blackberries
9-prunes
10-raspberries
11-strawberries
12-red delicious apples
13-granny smith apples
14-pecans
15-sweet cherries
16-black plums
17-russet potatoes (cookes)
18-black beans (dried)
19-plums
20-gala apples

Until next time team, it really IS good to taste the rainbow..;)

Health respect & happiness,
Beki