Antioxidants - What Are They?

What are antioxidants? How do they benefit me?

First, lets talk about free radicals and oxidative stress.

According to the National Institutes of Health "Free radicals are highly unstable molecules that are naturally formed when you exercise and when your body converts food into energy. Your body can also be exposed to free radicals from a variety of environmental sources, such as cigarette smoke, air pollution, and sunlight. Free radicals can cause “oxidative stress,” a process that can trigger cell damage. Oxidative stress is thought to play a role in a variety of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and eye diseases such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration."¹

What counteracts oxidative stress? Antioxidants!

"Antioxidant molecules have been shown to counteract oxidative stress in laboratory experiments."¹ and "Vegetables and fruits are healthy foods and rich sources of antioxidants."¹ And the research shows that the best way of getting your antioxidants is by consuming vegetables and fruits and not supplementation.

In addition, there are hundreds of substances that can act as antioxidants. The familiar ones are vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and other related carotenoids, along with the minerals selenium and manganese. And, you might have heard of other well-known antioxidants such as flavonoids, phenols, polyphenols, phytoestrogens, and more.². More importantly "...antioxidants tend to work best in combination with other nutrients, plant chemicals, and even other antioxidants."²

Let's be clear "A plant-based diet is believed to protect against chronic oxidative stress-related diseases."² and "abundant evidence suggests that eating whole in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—all rich in networks of naturally occurring antioxidants and their helper molecules—provides protection against many scourges of aging."²

Wow! Not only can a plant-based diet help lower mortality and reduce your chances of getting diseases, but it can also save you money as well because it can reduce your need for medications! And plant-based meals taste great too!

What fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, or spices contain antioxidants?

Here is a partial list of the most common plant-based foods which contain antioxidants.

• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Grapes
• Apples
• Lemons
• Oranges
• Goji berries
• Sweet potato
• Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Bell peppers (all colors)
• Kale
• Red cabbage
• Artichokes
• Spinach
• Oats
• Brown rice
• Lentils
• Pecans
• Peanuts
• Cashews
• Chickpeas
• Turmeric
• Cinnamon
• Tea
• Cocoa

So you can see that if you are eating a plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains you will be eating antioxidants. The nutrients in the foods that contain antioxidants are Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Carotenoids including beta-carotene and lycopene, Selenium, Zinc, and Phenolic compounds.²

When you shop at Garden of Vegan, you get delicious meals that have high amounts of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and grains that are full of antioxidants. In addition, Garden of Vegan is 100% certified organic, gluten-free, preservative and additive-free, and 100% plant-based. So you can improve your diet knowing you are getting the healthiest organic, plant-based meals delivered directly to your home or office

How can Garden of Vegan improve your health with antioxidants?

We aim to make getting healthy easier! Get started with healthy meals, side, and snack deliveries or our super-fresh produce boxes. We also have meal plans for every lifestyle.

Garden of Vegan can help you with your health goals by making it easier for you to eat healthy nutritious foods:

1. Garden of Vegan delivers healthy, plant-based ready-made meals across Australia. Leave the food cooking and nutrition to us!

2. Garden of Vegan also delivers healthy sides, pantry items, and fresh produce boxes.

So when you don't have the time or energy to prepare healthy food, let us help you improve and maintain your health. All Garden of Vegan delicious meals, sides, and produce boxes are certified organic and dairy-free, gluten-free, additive-free, and preservative-free. So you know you will be getting delicious meals, sides, and snacks that are super healthy as well.

Unable to cook healthy food and you are an NDIS participant? No problem! Garden of Vegan works with the NDIS program too.

Garden of Vegan's customers, including NDIS participants, can rest assured that our organic meals, produce, and pantry items are 100% organic and nutritious! And, NDIS participants only pay for the food cost component of the meals they order. NDIS participants and NDIS plan managers can learn more about Garden of Vegan NDIS plans and healthy meal delivery by filling out our NDIS form and we'll contact you as soon as possible.

We want people to be healthy! We are continually changing our menus and expanding our nutrition information online! Join our Newsletter and read our blog.

Additional health information from Garden of Vegan

Garden of Vegan Vitamin Guide:
Learn more about healthy foods and how you can increase your vitamin intake with healthy meals, sides, sauces, desserts, and pantry items at the Garden of Vegan Vitamin Guide.

References:
1. Antioxidants and Health - National Institutes of Health
2. Antioxidants - Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health