Natural Antioxidants In Vegetables

Vegetables are known to have substantial amounts of natural antioxidants that neutralize free radicals that are harmful to the body. This is one of the reasons why we are often advised to include a lot of vegetables into our diet and obtain balanced eating habits. Having a balanced diet will help improve your health a lot, and would literally save your life.

Researches have shown that vegetables can repair damaged cells and prevent several forms of degenerative disease. It is very important to eat a lot of vegetables regularly and take advantage of its natural antioxidant properties. Cell damage is something that we cannot avoid due to the high levels of pollution that we are exposed to everyday.

Not all kinds of vegetables have equal amounts of natural antioxidants. Some vegetables actually contain more natural antioxidants in them than most vegetables. In addition, cooking also affects the amount of antioxidants in vegetables. For example, cooking tomatoes can actually boost its amount of antioxidants. On the other hand, the number of antioxidants in potatoes decreases after cooking.

In terms of natural antioxidants, most vegetables follow the rule that applies to fruits. Brighter colored fruits and vegetables have more antioxidants than their opposite counterparts. Examples of bright colored fruits are apples and oranges, and examples of bright colored vegetables include carrots and tomatoes.

However, not all vegetables follow this rule. Some exceptions are artichoke hearts, eggplants, spinach, russet potatoes. These vegetables are not really bright colored, but still, they are very rich in natural antioxidants.

All kinds of beans have astonishingly high amounts of antioxidants in them. Kidney beans, pinto beans, red beans and black beans are all very rich in natural antioxidants relative to other vegetables.

As mentioned previously, cooking has a significant effect in the amount of antioxidants found in vegetables. Aside from tomatoes, the following vegetables also increase their amount of antioxidants after being cooked. Broccoli, red cabbage and yellow onions also become more antioxidant-rich after cooking.

On the other hand, overcooking these antioxidant-rich vegetables can only be harmful and would wipe out all the benefits you can get from vegetables. Preferably, steaming and baking are the best ways to prepare vegetables to either preserve or increase their amount of natural antioxidants.

The following statistics compare boiling and steaming of vegetables. Vegetables that are steamed preserve 80 percent of phenolic substance and ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) Values, a process of gauging the antioxidant capabilities of food products.

In contrast, boiling vegetables can only retain 30 percent of ORAC values and phenolic substances. To protect these vitamins and phenolic substances, vegetables should only be steamed at the minimum amount of time and at the mildest heat.

Other vegetables with high phenolic content are cabbage, red chicory, yellow pepper, red chili, marjoram, garden sage, rosemary, and garden thyme. Most of these vegetables are of course aromatic herbs, and according to studies, adding these herbs to a salad increases the salad's phenolic and ORAC values and increasing its antioxidant properties.

Aside from the vegetables mentioned above, there are of course more fruits and vegetables which are also rich in antioxidants. The best diet is to combine fruits and vegetables so that your meal will be rich in natural antioxidants from various antioxidant-rich sources.

One way to incorporate all of these antioxidants is by the intake of natural antioxidant supplements, or antioxidant supplements derived from natural sources such as fruits and vegetables. Usually, there are supplements out there which are a powerful blend of these healthy products. They aim to make you look and feel younger and increase the longevity of your cells.

Selling antioxidant supplements is indeed not only a wellness business opportunity, but an effective promotion of nutrition and wellness. This type of industry is one of the answers to the call of a growing number of health-conscious individuals.

These industries manufacture natural antioxidant supplements that are equivalent to several servings of certain fruits and vegetables. For example, a supplement can have the equivalent of 5 servings of concentrated natural antioxidants which come from green tea, broccoli or pomegranate. Whether you obtain them from eating fruits and vegetables or from taking supplements, natural antioxidants are definitely great for your health.