eat: antioxidant rich foods are where it is at, here's why...

When it comes to staying in optimal health, the delicate balance between our mind and our body is so important. What we consume and surround ourselves with creates our environment, not only externally but internally. The conversations we have, the information we read, the music we listen to. The food we choose when we are in the supermarket, the water we drink and the air that we breathe. It may not always seem it but the majority of these things are within our control. The small decisions that we make every day collectively form our reality.

When we are deciding what we put in to our bodies, there are two main groups we need to talk about. Antioxidants and Free Radicals.

Antioxidants are our mates. They fill our body with goodness, help to protect us and neutralise anything that might be detrimental. They bring essential vitamins and minerals, are found in foods that are normally pretty bright in colour and have the ability to keep our bodies firing on all cylinders. They help to fight off illness, give us energy and make our skin glow and our eyes bright.

Then there are Free Radicals. These are the unstable molecules and toxins that we put in to our body during a night out drinking in town, load up by having a late night cigarette or two, by pilling on stress at work or if we decide to binge on pizza and ice cream for breakfast. They are known to increase inflammation in the body, speed up the ageing process and also increase illness and disease.

Ok, so Antioxidants might seem like the safe mate who goes home on a night out because they prefer an early night but they really can help us to stay healthy and balanced long term.

So, you’re at the farmers market, in the supermarket or at the greengrocer. Which foods are going to help you stay winning?

Berries

They taste banging, are great in smoothies and look pretty on top of your over night oats but berries are way more than that. Some studies have linked the antioxidants and other components in raspberries to lower risks of cancer and heart disease as well as killing 90% of stomach, colon and breast cancer cells in the samples that were tested. They are also high in fibre and help to balance our blood sugar.

Spinach

Switch it for lettuce in salad, add it to your blender or smash it in to a home made soup, Spinach is one of the good guys. It’s stacked full of vitamins and minerals, is super easy to cook with, low in calories and easy to get hold of. It’s amazing for digestion and has also been known to help lower the risk of heart disease.

Nuts

Known as being one of the most balanced foods on the planet, nuts are really easy to carry as a snack, add in to stir fries or hide in your draw at work for the 3pm munchies. Filled with good fats, vitamins and loads of minerals too, from Brazil Nuts to Cashews, Almonds to Walnuts, these super heroes will help to keep your mind sharp and your body strong.

Dark Chocolate

Shout outs for this one. Let’s go less sugar, more cocoa. You only need a square or two and enjoy every second of it. A study found that dark chocolate had more antioxidant activity than any fruits that were tested, which included blueberries and acai berries. Dark chocolate has also been proven to boost your mood and prevent memory loss. We are so here for this.

Olives

The Mediterranean diet has been a go to for many years. Not only for the freshness of the food and the diversity of meat, fruit and veg but also because of olives and the level of goodness that they bring. Loaded with Vitamin E, you can have them as a starter, add them to your pasta sauces or scatter them on to a fresh salad. They help to reduce inflammation in the body and have also been linked to potentially helping with osteoporosis and cancer. Just watch out for the ones with the stones in before you bite too hard - Haha!