Practicing good habits in regards to your diet is one of the best ways to live a healthy life. What you eat plays a major part in your overall health. Foods we consume can have a positive effect on your wellbeing and making sure your diet includes foods that are beneficial to overall health is important.
Free radicals are unstable molecules, usually as a result of having an unpaired electron. Free radicals are normal byproducts of the biochemical reactions that occur in the body. However, having too many free radicals in your body can cause oxidative stress, which causes damage to cells and may play a role in the development of cancer.
How do free radicals form?
- Environmental exposure carcinogens (i.e., cigarette smoke, UV irradiation, pollution)
- Alcohol
- Stress (cortisone and catecholamines result from mental stress, which generates free radicals)
Antioxidants inhibit oxidation by protecting against free radicals that cause damage through donating one of their own electrons.
A few antioxidant sources that you want to try to get more of in your diet:
- Oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, cantaloupe, tomatoes, red and green peppers, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, potato
- Vitamin E
- Sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, peanut butter, peanuts, broccoli, kiwi, mango, tomato, spinach
- Vitamin A
- Sweet potato (with skin), spinach, carrots, ricotta cheese, cantaloupe, red peppers, mango, hard boiled egg, apricots, broccoli, tomatoes, salmon, yogurt, tuna, winter squash, pumpkin, dark leafy greens (kale), summer squash
- Zinc
- Cashews, chickpeas, yogurt and milk products, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, whole grains and ready-to-eat breakfast cereals (fortified with zinc), seafood, poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), nuts, oysters, red meat
- Selenium
- Brazil nuts, yellowfin tuna, sardines, shrimp, macaroni, beef steak, turkey, chicken, cottage cheese, brown rice, beef, eggs, ready to eat cereal, whole wheat bread, baked beans, oatmeal, spinach, yogurt, lentils, cashews, marinara sauce, cashews, bananas, potatoes, peaches, carrots
Vitamin C
Nutritional Therapy Services
At Behavioral Nutrition we aim to give our patients the tools they need to improve their diets by incorporating foods that will help them feel great like the ones listed above. Our nutritionists understand the power of a healthy diet when it comes to feeling our best. Nutritional Therapy Services aim to identify areas where your diet can be improved and find sustainable solutions that will last. Contact us today to learn more about how Behavioral Nutrition can help you practice good eating habits for a healthier diet.
