Antioxidants are all the rage these days. You'll see this drink promoting it's antioxidant powers, and that 'antioxidant-rich' pre-packaged baby food guilting parents into buying it, but what is an antioxidant anyway? Put simply, antioxidants are those vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that protect against the oxidative damage to tissues (picture the way lemon juice keeps an apple from going brown - or oxidizing). They protect against free radicals in the body - unstable molecules that destroy cells - studies estimate that our cells take about 10,000 'hits' from free radicals a day and a good amount of antioxidants will significantly lower the damage done. Current theories estimate that free radicals damage is at the core of over 80 different diseases, including cancer, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, cataracts, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
The main antioxidants are vitamins A, C, and E and the minerals zinc and selenium. Although, other vitamins and minerals also have great antioxidant power as they help to boost the effects of the above vitamins and minerals. Bottom line is that there needs to be a lot of colour on your child's plate! A colourful plate of fresh, unprocessed (and organic where possible) food will significantly improve your child's antioxidant status. Antioxidants in the diet come from fresh fruits and vegetables (not from fancy drinks and pre-packaged food) and it is recommended to eat 5 portions a day. Here are some quick guidelines:
RED: These antioxidant rich foods contain lycopene: tomatoes, pink grapefruit, watermelon
ORANGE: These 'anticancers' contain beta-carotene and other carotenoids: carrots, apricots, papayas, cantaloupes, squashes, mangoes
YELLOW: Corn and yellow peppers contain beta-carotene, while turmeric, mustard and cumin all contain curcumin and isothiocyanates.
GREEN: These magnesium-rich foods inhibit cancer-causing chemicals: cabbages, brussel sprouts, kale, broccoli, green beans
PURPLE: These anti-inflammatories are rich in anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins: blueberries, blackberries, red grapes, cherries
Before I started my studies and knew very little about what actually goes into our food, I was visiting my brother and his wife in Winnipeg. At the time their daughter was a little over 3 and I remember sitting with them at the dinner table while my niece decided she didn't want to finish her dinner. Either my brother or sister-in-law said to her "Eat one piece of every colour on your plate." I remember at the time thinking what a great way to get her to eat - making a little game of it. But I now understand how smart that was - that it wasn't about tricking her into eating (although she did gobble up a bunch more), it was about getting her to eat a wide variety of vitamins and minerals and about teaching her the importance of doing this.
Don't stress about making sure your child is eating the proper antioxidant-rich foods or ingesting the proper vitamins and minerals - rules of thumb: lots of fresh fruits and veggies and lots of colour!
