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Antioxidants
By the end of this lesson you will:
• List three foods rich in antioxidants.
• Identify vitamins high in antioxidants.
• Identify three tips for consuming a diet full of antioxidants.
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Activity 1:
List three foods you think might be good sources of antioxidants.
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What Are Nutrients?
Our bodies need 6 essential nutrients to function properly. They are:
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Carbohydrates
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Protein
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Fat
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Vitamins
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Minerals
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Water
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Carbohydrates, protein and fat provide calories. Vitamins, minerals, and water do not. But, all are essential for a healthy body!
What Are Antioxidants?
Antioxidants are specific vitamins and minerals. The most common antioxidants are vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene (a form of vitamin A) and also selenium (a mineral). Much research has recently focused on how antioxidant vitamins may reduce cardiovascular disease risk.
Why Are Antioxidants Important?
Our bodies are actually battlegrounds for infection and diseases. Normal body functions, such as breathing or physical activity, and other lifestyle habits, such as smoking, produce substances called free radicals that attack healthy cells. When these healthy cells are weakened, they are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancers. Antioxidants help protect healthy cells from damage caused by free radicals. They may also improve immune function.
How Do Antioxidants Work?
To understand how antioxidants work, let's talk about oxygen. When body cells burn oxygen, they form by-products called free radicals. These free radicals can damage body cells and tissues, as well as the DNA, which is your body's master plan for reproducing cells. Damage caused by oxidation is quite familiar; let's take an apple for example. What happens when it is cut into pieces? It starts to brown due to oxidation. But, if you dip your apple in orange juice, it stays white! (Remember, orange juice is a good source of vitamin C; vitamin C is an antioxidant!) This process is quite similar in your body. Free radicals cause oxidation, or cell damage. Over time, that may lead to cell dysfunction and contribute to the onset of health problems such as cancer, artery and heart disease, cataracts, diabetes, and some deterioration that goes with aging. Antioxidants in your body counteract the action of free radicals.
The antioxidants Vitamin C, Vitamin E and beta carotene, and some minerals including selenium, can counteract the effects of free radicals. They reduce the damage free radicals may do to arteries that contribute to heart disease, or the damage to other cells that may increase the risk of cancer.
Activity 2:
Types of Antioxidants:
The Carotenoids
Beta carotene is one of 50 carotenoids in foods that convert to vitamin A in the body. It is usually found in red and orange colored fruits and vegetables and in some dark green ones where the color is hidden by chlorophyll.
Foods high in carotenoids include:
• Red, orange, deep-yellow and some dark-green leafy vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, apricots, cantaloupe, mangoes, red and yellow peppers.
Although beta carotone is the carotenoid most familiar to us, you may have heard of some others.
Lycopene, a carotenoid found in tomatoes, is one of the most powerful antioxidants and appears to protect against many diseases, including cancers. Lycopene is better absorbed if cooked, and tomato sauce eaten two times a week may reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Lutein, another type of carotenoid, may decrease risk of developing macular degeneration, the eye disease.
Foods rich in lutein include:
• Broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach, kale, and egg yolk.
Tips for Carotenoids:
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Include at least one good source of beta carotene per day.
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Vitamin supplements may have only beta carotene, but eating a variety of fruits and vegetables (at least 5 a day) will help you to get the other forms of carotenes too.
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Beta carotene and vitamin A are fairly stable in cooking.
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Vitamin E
The main role of vitamin E is as an antioxidant. It may help protect the body from cell damage that can lead to cancer, heart disease, and cataracts as we age. Vitamin E is fat soluble which means this vitamin dissolves in fat. Vitamin E works together with other antioxidants, such as vitamin C, to offer protection from some chronic diseases.
Tips for Vitamin E:
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Use small amounts of vegetable oils, nuts, and avocado as the fat source in a meal or snack.
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Look for cereal fortified with vitamin E. It will be listed on the Nutrition Facts label if it is added.
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Heating vegetable oil to a high temperature for deep frying destroys the vitamin E.
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Vitamin C
The most famous antioxidant is vitamin C. Vitamin C is also known as Ascorbic Acid. Besides being an antioxidant, vitamin C plays an important role in fighting infections, keeping the walls of blood vessels firm, and gums healthy! Vitamin C is water soluble and is not retained in the body, so try to eat a good source everyday.
Vitamin C is found is citrus fruits (e.g., oranges, grapefruits, tangerines), sweet peppers, strawberries, broccoli, and potatoes.
Tips for Vitamin C:
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Vitamin C is destroyed by heat and light.
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Store juice or cut fruits in opaque containers, not clear glass.
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Cook vegetables quickly with minimal water in the microwave, or steam, or stir-fry with minimal oil.
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Cook potatoes with the skin on.
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Eat fruit for a snack, appetizer, or dessert.
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Eat at least one good source of Vitamin C everyday!
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Selenium:
Selenium is a trace mineral, which your body needs in very small amounts. In plant foods, the content of selenium depends on how much was available in the soil. If you eat a variety of grains from various places, you have a better chance of an adequate intake. There is very little selenium in fruits and vegetables.
Good sources are:
• Seafood, red meats, poultry, cereals, barley and other grains and breads.
Where Should I Get My Antioxidants?
• The best way to build a healthful eating plan is to eat well-balanced meals and snacks each day and to enjoy a wide variety of foods. Eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily is a good start for healthful living.
• Fruits and vegetables have been found to prevent a host of diseases by providing essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients, including antioxidants. While we all know it's important to eat fruits and vegetables, more than 80% of us don't consume the recommended serving amounts of fruits and vegetables each day.
• There is no scientific evidence that antioxidants in supplements have added benefits. Until more is known it is recommended that vitamins and minerals be obtained by food intake. A basic multivitamin/mineral supplement may help fill in the gaps if you don’t get everything you need in your diet everyday.
• Encouraging healthful eating habits early in childhood is important for maintaining these habits in adulthood. The best way to get children to eat fruits and vegetables is to offer them often and to be a positive role model. The food guide pyramid guides us on the number of servings of fruits and vegetables to eat every day.
Now let's review!
Activity 3:
Which WIC Office do you go to?
Where are you taking today's lesson?
Answers:
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Activity 1:
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1. Broccoli, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, oranges, spinach, apricots, red and yellow peppers, and sweet potatoes are a few.
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Activity 2:
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1. Vitamin D is not a common antioxidant.
2. Free Radicals cause damage to healthy cells.
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Activity 3:
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1. False. Antioxidants are dark in color.
2. False. Most foods high in vitamin E are also high in fat.
3.True
4.Any three of the following:
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Store juice or cut fruits in opaque containers, not clear glass.
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Cook vegetables quickly with minimal water in the microwave, or steam, or stir-fry with minimal oil.
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Cook potatoes with the skin on.
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Eat fruit for a snack, appetizer, or dessert.
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Eat at least one good source of Vitamin C everyday!
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Use small amounts of vegetable oils, nuts, and avocado as the fat source in a meal or snack.
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Look for cereal fortified with vitamin E. It will be listed on the Nutrition Facts label if it is added.
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Heating vegetable oil to a high temperature for deep frying destroys the vitamin E.
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Back to WIC Lessons
Revised: 06-12-2008
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