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Years ago, a good friend of mine, Dan, told me something that I have used over and over again with clients when explaining simple ways to eat healthily. Dan is someone who reads a fair bit and thinks about the logic of things. Hence, he takes care of himself by following solid nutrition principles and exercising regularly. Pretty wise guy all around.
So, back to Dan’s comment: He said something like (it was a long time ago so I can’t quote him exactly), “I read a nutrition recommendation that really made sense to me. It said to try and eat as many different colors everyday as you can”. At the time, it struck me as very powerful and simple. Do you know why? Antioxidants!
“Antioxidants” is quite the buzz word in the world of nutrition these days. This is because cellular oxidation is a mechanism of aging and related diseases in which nutrition and lifestyle choices play a part.
Oxygen radicals, or free radicals, are a normal part of our body’s functioning. Even though we all have them in our body at any given time, they cause cellular damage. This is called oxidation. In our bodies, this process is similar to the process that happens to unpainted metal after a time…it rusts and deteriorates. To stop rust on metal, you add oil or paint. But what’s the best way to slow it in our bodies?
If our body has a way to absorb the oxygen radicals, they don’t do damage.
What’s the best way to absorb free radicals? Eat LOTS of richly colored vegetables and fruits. Simple.
Of course, some vegetables and fruits are better at absorbing free radicals. I was curious about this idea, so I checked out the web for more information. What I found confirmed my thinking that, as a rule the richer and deeper the color, the more powerful the antioxidant actions in the body.
The United States Department of Agriculture developed a test, called the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity or ORAC (could they make the name any longer??), which assigns a score to each vegetable depending on it’s antioxidant capacity. And, YEP, sure enough, with a few exceptions like garlic and cauliflower, the deeper colored veggies and fruits had higher scores.
If you are interested to learn about specific veggies and fruits that you like, search for “ORAC scores of fruits and vegetables” in your web search engine. There’s tons of information on this out there. I have listed a couple of sites below that are good as well.
OR just follow Dan’s philosophy and eat as many colors as you can everyday. Your body will love you for it. THANKS Dan!
Resources:
“What is ORAC? How Foods Can Help You Fight Cancer”. By Susan Dixon http://www.cancer.med.umich.edu/learn/nutorac.htm#list
“ORAC Values of Fruits and Vegetables” http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/nc/ORAC_values.asp
Ainsley Laing MSc.has 25 years experience in Group Exercise, Nutrition and Personal Training. She is the chief editor of Body for Mind - Wellness Lifestyle for Sucessful People. Read more at www.bodyformind.com |
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