Antioxidants - are you getting them?

One of the most amazing nutrients in our foods - antioxidants - should be in your diet all day every day. Are they? If not, they are easy to add. And even better, I've got a list of DIRT-CHEAP foods that are overflowing with them.

Antioxidants, found mostly in plants, inhibit oxidation or reactions promoted by oxygen, peroxides, or free radicals.  Free radicals are negatively charged byproducts of the millions of chemical reactions that take place in our bodies every day - collectively, they are referred to as oxidative stress - and they harm cells, tissues, and systems. They oxidize cholesterol and make it sticky in our arteries. This is NOT what we want. ANTIOXIDANTS NEUTRALIZE THEM.

Sounds amazingly simple, right. Free Radicals bad. Antioxidants good. But, here's the thing. Food is a business.

And with business comes marketing. And with marketing can come confusion in order to get you to buy expensive "products." With antioxidants, the marketing has been aggregious in my opinion. Unfortunately, in the last 20-30 years, the word SUPERFOOD has been thrown around as a marketing term to get you to buy exotic foods and special antioxidants - so they say. 

And while it's usually not an outright lie, most "superfoods" (ex: acai berries) are very healthy and absolutely contain antioxdiants, they are not the only ones. They are not required for great health. In fact, you can likely look around your kitchen and pantry, without a trip to the store and find most of what's on my list.

When it comes to antioxidants, there's no ceiling. The more, the merrier. Start here and keep building in more and more vibrantly colorful plant foods into your diet - every day.

Bonus: This is a fun fact to share when you're letting your nerdy nutrition side out;) The different rich colors of plant foods are an indication of their antioxidants, a sort of antioxidant rainbow if you will. You know I will. Here's a graphic from the Physician's Committee:  

 7 Dirt-Cheap Antioxidant Foods to Get Every Day

1. Black Pepper

Got a pepper grinder? Got black peppercorns in there? You've got one of the most potent high antioxidant foods known to man. Black peppercorns contain piperine, an extremely strong antioxidant that helps our body absorb other nutrients, reduces inflammation, reduces pain, protects arteries and reduces the oxidation of cholesterol, and improves digestion.

2. Ginger & Turmeric

Take a look in your spice jar. Any ginger or turmeric? If so, I dare you to try to consume 1/4-1/2 tsp of each per day. You can make golden milk (warm up milk, add ginger, turmeric, and bit of honey or maple). You can use them in dinner, salad dressings, or add ginger to smoothies. You can also choose supplements (~1000 mg turmeric & 500 mg ginger per day). What will you get? Potent anti-inflammatory antioxidants that specifically reduce joint pain and inflammation, support brain health, digestive health, and full-body health. I've had many clients go completely off of daily ibuprofen for joint pain with the use of these 2 dirt-cheap spices.

3. Carrots

Really, any orange vegetable will do. But, since we're talking about easy, cheap options, carrot fit the bill (pun intended). Carrots are high in beta carotene, and beta carotene is an amazing antioxidant. It supports eye health, brain health, and supports our bodies fight against cellular disease and overgrowth (cancer).

4. Herbs

Okay, herbs aren't always cheap (a bunch of basil will cost ya), but in the grand scheme of things, they are relatively cheap and easy to grow (even in just a window seal). Herbs, like parsley, are packed with vitamin A, which is great for immune system and eye health. What's more, they've got vitamin K - which builds blood health, supports bone health, & supports heart health. If you're part of the Kick Butt in the Kitchen Dinner Club, you'll see one of my favorite parsley recipes on the menu (Tuesday) this week - chimichurri. SO easy and so good!

5. Canned Tomatoes

Gasp. Canned? Yep, canned. Organic & BPA free canned tomatoes pack a ton of antioxidants. We're talking beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, & drumroll please, lycopene. Yes! Lycopene is a anti-cancer allstar, specifically potent for prostate cancer. So men (and the women who love them), get yo'self some canned tomatoes & make some salsa! Add in herbs & black pepper while you're at it. One more thing, and this is gonna blow your mind, some vegetables actually become better for you when they are cooked & canned. This is not to say fresh tomatoes are not GREAT, they are...but when tomatoes are cooked & canned their nutreints become more absorbable.

6. Berries (of course). But, cheap? Try CRANBERRIES

I love berries. I love them so much that if I buy a little basket of blackberries I'll likely eat them in one setting in 2 minutes. Not cheap. But if you're looking for a deal, with a whole lotta antioxidants, get some cranberries.

These amazing berries are great for you. They are overflowing with anthracyanin (as most dark red, purple, & blue plants are) . They promote heart health, liver health, and urinary health. Add any berry, fresh or frozen, to your day!

7. Tea - Black or Green

Black and green tea round out our non-exhaustive list today. Believe it or not, black and green tea leaves are the same leaves...they are just at different stages of maturation when they are picked. As they mature, their compounds, antioxidants, change. When you pick either, or even better, both, you'll get amazing nutrients. You'll get theaflavins, thearubigins, and catechins. In green tea you'll get a concentrated amount of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a specific catechin. These antioxidants fight elevated cortisol, high blood pressure, fat storage, and oxidative stress.

Think you can get all 7 today?

Don't get too hung up on my list. There's so many more. Spinach, cinnamon, garlic, broccoli & cauliflower, oranges and grapefruits - basically all plant foods. The trick is to eat plants, especially richly colorful ones through out the day.

Want to hear ALL MY THOUGHTS on these foods? Check out Episode #6 on my podcast - The Apex Nutrition Podcast - here or anywhere you listen.

Recipe of the Week

I've been trying to perfect this one for years. It may not be perfect, but it's close. It's served at one of my favorite restaurants, Fish 101 in Leucadia, CA. Alongside a Poke Bowl it rounds out maybe my all-time favorite meal, especially after surfing. This soup was found on last week's KBK (Kick Butt in the Kitchen) Dinner Plan, was a big hit, and uses a few of the 7 above.

Click here for Out of This World Delicious Tomato Coconut Soup 

Quote of the Week: “Turn your face towards the sun and the shadows will fall behind you." ~from a Māori Proverb

I take this literally & figuratively. When you pause, breathe, and turn your face to the sun, it warms your skin, seeps into your tissues, gives you a moment to relax, and allows stress to melt away. 

When you turn your thoughts toward the good, the warm stuff in life, it crowds out the negative and forces the shadows behind you.

AND, it increases another antioxidant in your body, vitamin D:)  

 Want More? I'll Plan Your Meals for You!

I have 3 things for you this week.

1) First, I am on a mission to make dinners less overwhelming, stressful, and haphazard for people. For just $9 per month, I'll plan your dinners for you. And yes, they'll be amazing. 

• $9/month for monthly membership: Kick Butt in the Kitchen Dinner Club
• $99/year for membership PLUS a FREE Single Solution Nutrition Plan (full daily meal plan, teen athlete plans, etc). 

2) If you want a full meal plan for every day, from breakfast through dinner, I've got that for you too. It's in a mix-and-match style, and it will help you meet your health goals whether a strong, healthy weight, optimal blood sugars, optimal heart health, brain health, more antixodants, all of it. It's one of my Single Solution Nutrition Plans - Just $27 for a "Just Tell Me What to Eat (JTMWTE)" Meal Plan. Bonus: If you want the dinner club membership AND a full meal plan, you can get the meal plan free with the year-option above. Find the JTMWTE Meal Plan Here.

3) If you are struggling with a health, weight, sports, or nutrition issue and are ready to make REAL, needed changes, I'm available to be your nutrition coach 1 on 1. This is an extremely limited offer (I only work with a handful per month). I'd love to discuss how we can work together. Click Here to Apply: Nutrition Coaching

Is Nutrition Bites your cup of tea? All those antioxidants! I hope so. I’m passionate about nutrition, real-life health advice, real foods, and adventure. If you’re enjoying Nutrition Bites, will you do me a favor? Would you forward it to 1, 2, or 5 friends and tell 'em to sign up below? I’m on a mission to help people nourish themselves & the people they love. I want to reduce overwhelm & stress, to help create peace, gratitude, confidence, and joy around the dinner table (the trail, the road, and beyond). Nutrition Bites is FREE. Share it, won’t you!?!

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