Many, or most, women over 40 believe that they have already faced the biggest challenge life can serve them. After all, they have given birth to their children, raised a family, became a friend a friend can hope for, and have been a productive and valuable member of the community they have shared their lives with. But if there is one challenge women just need to champion and overcome, it is their ongoing battle with free radicals.
Facts about Free Radicals
Often times, women feel overwhelmed with major life stressors: From their job down to the pile of dishes she comes home to. Aside from struggling with these external stressors, women over 40 most specially need to be aware of the internal battlefield that they have to deal with. And to have a healthy body, they need to confront their major health’s adversary: Free radicals.
Free radicals are essentially a group of tiny and ‘bad’ molecules that ravage our body’s healthy cells. But don’t belittle these tiny tots as they are dead serious in doing their job. In fact, they’re good at it.
Free radicals essentially target and aim at healthy cells at least 10,000 times a day. And, worst, they strive to burn the surrounding membranes of our cells to make sure that they it is easier for them to vanquish it the next day. And if you are wondering the effect of free radicals in our body, experts do believe that these bad molecules are one of the leading factors in the development of life threatening diseases like stroke, cancer, and other blood vessel diseases.
But where does a single bad molecule come from? Experts say that we actually encourage the development of free radicals through:
- Normal process in your body. And these include the breakdown of fats, carbohydrates, sugar, and, yes, even your dinner. If you have burned the treadmill, dare to imagine how many calories plus free radicals your system has to process.
- External pollutants. Here is one reason why you should help heal Mother Nature.
- Processing of meds. Though your doctor’s objective is to make you better, one of the many reactions you need to face when you pop that pill is that truckload of free radicals that is produced by your system when it breaks down your meds.
Faced with a powerful nemesis, this reason alone pushes the fact that our body really can’t fight and cripple free radicals alone. Our body’s best ally: Antioxidants.
Build Your Defenses
Today, you need to feed your body more antioxidants than what you’re doctor prescribed your mother. With all the toxins your body generates plus all the pollutants you breathe from the city air, definitely you need more than just plain vitamin C. You need loads of antioxidants to stop free radicals from its track. These include good ol’ vitamin C and E, phytochemicals, polyphenols, flavonoids, selenium, and zinc, among others.
Go for the best. While all vegetables and fruits are good for you, when it comes to fending off free radicals, experts have finally come with a list of the best among the best: The next time you shop for your antioxidant network, make sure that you grab the freshest of beets, kale, broccoli, potatoes, red bell peppers, brussell sprouts, sweet potatoes, and corn. But don’t forget to throw in your favorites, just make sure that you have all these antioxidant A-listers.
Love your spinach. There’s a reason why Popeye will never leave home without his can of spinach. If you are dreaming of stopping signs of aging and reversing the effects of free radicals in your body, healthy spinach-based meals can be your best allies. So if you have been un-kind to your body, simply start looking for wonderful spinach recipe in your cookbook and eat your way to a younger-looking you.
Go for high-octane olive oil. While extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil is undeniably labeled with a pricier price tag, experts agree that when it comes to shopping for olive oil, the more expensive the better for your health. Though the grimy dark green color of the oil may put you off, cold-pressed virgin olive oil is undeniably healthier and tastier that the yellow variety. The less processing the oil has gone through, the better for your taste palate and health. This is definitely one of the many reasons why you can’t put a price tab on your health.
Prepping Up Your Antioxidants Network
When it comes to building up your body’s defenses, it’s not only what you eat that counts, it’s really how you prepare it. Though researchers do agree that the preparation method will affect the level of the antioxidant of a fruit or vegetable, the result, however, vary – even with a single vegetable. But because we can’t know the best prep method for all our veggies and fruits, here’s a list of good rules when it comes to the pre-plate even:
Opt for quickie. Boiling will increase a tomato’s antioxidant level, but do you know that doing the same thing with carrots will shove down its antioxidant level? For a safer option, a good rule of thumb is the shorter you put it on fire, the better. A better alternative to boiling is a quick steam. Why? Because steaming, in general, will lock in your veggies’ phytonutrients and antioxidants, leaving you the nutrients your body needs – and not in the water.
The simpler, the better. Sometimes, being too busy is actually good for your health. If you feel too tired to slice, mince, and dice all that goes in your salad, let it go. But never, ever, be too tired to wash your veggies. Get a bowl, throw in your veggies, and just let the running water do the cleaning.
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