5 Simple (And Delicious) Ways To Boost Your Daily Antioxidant Intake

Antioxidants give us a vast amount of health benefits, ranging from increasing energy to improving our overall wellbeing. Thus, it’s crucial that we make sure we are maximising our intake of antioxidants. Aside from supplements, there are a wide range of foods we can eat and steps we can take to ensure we’re consuming an optimal amount of antioxidants. We’ve put together 5 simple ways to boost your daily antioxidant intake.

Food preparation

It’s not only the food you eat that has an impact on the antioxidants you consume, but also the way you prepare it. Eating your fruit and vegetables raw increases your antioxidant intake, with the exception of tomatoes. However you don’t have to eat raw salads for the rest of your days, some other ways to boost your antioxidant intake with food preparation are to leave the peel on, don’t soak in water pre-cooking, cook quickly at a high heat rather than slowly for a low heat, and steam your ingredients to cook them where you can.

Taste the rainbow

This isn’t just the slogan of a delicious candy brand, this is a rule to live by! Antioxidants give colour to foods; for example, salmon and eggs with bright orange yolks are high in astaxanthin, an important anti-inflammatory antioxidant. The key is to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, especially in colour. Aim for two to three colours of fruit and veggies every day.

Drink up

Not only is the food we eat a great source of antioxidants, but so are fluids! And we don’t mean just smoothies, either. Cherry juice, cranberry juice, herbal tea, green tea and even coffee and red wine have antioxidants in them. Matcha green tea is a particularly good source of antioxidants. A great way to get your daily dose is to brew your tea in a portable tea infuser, such as Fressko’s tea infuser, so you can carry your antioxidants around with you all day long.

Herbs and spices

Instead of adding salt, add herbs and spices to your meals. These tasty, natural additives are high in antioxidants. Turmeric in particular is a great source of antioxidants, however most herbs and spices are adequate. Utilise herbs and spices wherever you can by adding them to drinks, salad dressings, yoghurt and cooked meals.

Snack smart

Stave off hunger cravings with a hit of antioxidants! Nuts and seeds are a fantastic source of antioxidants, whilst also being an incredibly healthy snack. Munch on yummy brazil nuts, a key source of selenium, which is important for brain health. Perhaps you prefer almonds or sunflower seeds? Both are great sources of vitamin E. Mix nuts and seeds with dried fruit for even more beneficial nutrients. For those of you addicted to chocolate – and many of us are – switch to moderating your intake and eating dark chocolate instead. Polyphenol-rich dark chocolate can also have a positive effect on heart health.

Antioxidants are clever little substances and nutrients found both in our bodies and in the food we eat. Because our bodies use oxygen to function, free radicals are then produced. Antioxidants help to clear up the free radicals because of this natural process, which helps reduce the potential damage that an over-abundance of free radicals can cause. Make sure you give your body the best by incorporating antioxidants into your daily intake.