oxidants

Put a little spice in your life to fight free radicals

July 6th, 2010 |

Author: Elaine

Just the words “free radicals” don’t sound like a good thing, but I wondered what they really were. I was surprised to find out what they were, but shocked to find out how bad they were for me. According to Wisegeek.com,

Pollution is a source of "free radicals" or oxidants.
Within the body, millions of processes are occurring at all times. These processes require oxygen. Unfortunately, that same life giving oxygen can create harmful side effects, or oxidant substances, which cause cell damage and lead to chronic disease. Oxidants, commonly known as “free radicals,” are also introduced through external sources such as exposure to the sun or pollution. Other mediums include stress, as well as things that people put into their bodies, such as alcoholic beverages, unhealthy foods, and cigarette smoke.

In much the same way as oxidation creates rust, causing a breakdown on the surface of inanimate objects, oxidation inside the body causes a breakdown of cells. Free radicals produced by this breakdown attack healthy cells, usually DNA as well as proteins and fats. This chain of events weakens immunological functions as well as speeding up the aging process, and is also linked to several diseases such as cataracts, various forms of cancer, and heart disease.

So after getting all that bad news, the question is, “what can you do to counter the effects of oxidants or free radicals?”

The answer is: Anti-oxidants!!

There are a lot of foods you can eat that are anti-oxidants, but one of the most surprising, and easiest to incorporate into your diet are spices! According to The Nibble, anti-oxidants are measured in “ORAC,” meaning “oxygen radical absorbance capacity.” It’s a test tube analysis. Using ORAC data from the USDA, compare one teaspoon of the spice with a half-cup serving of various fruits and vegetables to see how they stand up:

Organic spices are available at Natural Choices.

Ground cinnamon, ORAC = 6956

Blueberries, ORAC = 4848

Dried oregano, ORAC = 3602

Turmeric, ORAC = 3504

Strawberries, ORAC = 2969

Asparagus, ORAC = 1441

Curry powder, ORAC = 970

Green pepper, ORAC = 688

Ground ginger, ORAC = 519

Paprika, ORAC = 376

Rosemary, ORAC = 364

Tomatoes, ORAC = 330

Thyme, ORAC = 204

Watermelon, ORAC = 108

Now, I know that cinnamon buns are not what I should have for breakfast everyday, even if they are loaded with cinnamon. It’s all the fats, preservatives and sugar that makes them unhealthy. But I could add cinnamon to my cereal or oatmeal for a special taste that would be good for me! Likewise, cooking from scratch and adding the spices to chicken, beef, pork, sauces and pasta not only livens up entrees, it would be good for all of us – fighting off all those free radicals!

So the next time I am in Columbus, Indiana, I will stop by Natural Choices to pick up organic spices on this list to begin a new cooking adventure. One that will be tasty and healthy for me and my family.

–Ellie of the Natural Choices Blog Team