Eat this: Foods rich in antioxidants
By Maui Drilon for Yahoo! Southeast Asia
Want to maintain your youthful, glowing skin? The secret isn’t in a jar of cream. It’s
actually in the fresh food section of your neighbourhood grocery.
That’s because fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, which help fight
premature skin aging.
Think of antioxidants as superheroes that fight off the baddies, known as free radicals.
Free radicals are molecules found in pollution, cigarette smoke, and harsh
chemicals (like in your floor cleanser). These molecules are unstable, and like
to attach themselves to other molecules – such as the ones in your skin – and
destroying the cells they attach themselves to.
Imagine all these free radicals leeching off your skin: the result is premature aging,
tissue damage, and other diseases, such as cancer.
Antioxidants stop this horrible scenario by blocking free radicals, preventing them from
bonding with your skin cells.
So where do you get these antioxidants? While you can get a significant amount from your
daily multivitamin, it’s still a better idea to source them from fresh food and
a balanced diet, since the body absorbs these better.
Consider stocking up on these foods the next time you’re at the supermarket:
Pecans.
Go nutty with this precious
free-radical fighter. While almonds and hazelnuts pack quite a punch, pecans
are the richest of the nuts, packing a whopping 132 mg of magnesium as well as
111 mg of phyosterols (which help lower cholesterol) per cup. This wonder nut
is also rich in Vitamin E, which helps keep cell damage at bay. Pecans also
help reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes since it’s high in
mono and polyunsaturated fats.
Artichokes. The results are in: USDA
research has found that artichokes have the highest antioxidant count amongst
its fellow veggies. So stock up on artichoke recipes. They’re low in calories,
high in fiber, and have been found to help support healthy liver function (in
fact, it’s been recommended for treating hepatitis) Artichokes are high in
potassium, which prevents kidney stones; a great source of folic acid; and
contains lots of Vitamin C, which helps in skin cell regeneration.
Beans.
Sorry, we know they can cause
gas, but beans are actually rich in flavonoids – plant pigments that contain
high levels of antioxidant activity. The best beans? Black ones. Apparently,
the darker the seed coat, the higher the antioxidant level. Aside from being a
great source of protein, beans contain B vitamins, potassium, and fiber. Keep
in mind, a healthy colon plus regular bowel movement are crucial for clear,
glowing skin, since you regularly get rid of toxins in the body. So ask for
some extra beans in your burrito, or make yourself a classic peanut butter
sandwich (Surprise! Peanuts are actually part of the same plant family as beans
and peas.).
Berries.
What could be sweeter than munching
on a bowl of fresh berries with some whipped cream on the side? Now you have a
reason to indulge: berries – especially blueberries – contain so much
antioxidants that just one cup a day will do. That’s because one cup of wild
blueberries contain a total of 13,427 antioxidants, including vitamins A and C.
Can’t get blueberries where you are? Don’t sweat. Other berries, and even
grapes, are brimming with antioxidants and vitamins. And you don’t have to
limit yourself to berries for dessert. Toss them in your salad, your morning
cereal, or even a cup of yogurt (extra points for the calcium.)
Dark chocolate.
Yes, you read that right. Skip
the chocolate candy bar though, as you’ll end up taking in nuts, caramel, and
other oh-so-sinfully-yummy ingredients that contain no benefits whatsoever. To
get the most antioxidants, reach for the darkest chocolate you can find. White
chocolate doesn’t count, since it doesn’t contain cocoa. Just how can chocolate
give you better skin, you ask? A study done in Heinrich-Heine University in
Dusseldorf, Germany found that drinking half a cup of cocoa everyday for three
months gave testers moister, smoother, and less scaly skin – thanks to the
flavonoids in chocolate, which increases blood flow to the skin.
