How Antioxidants Work – Preventing Free Radical Damage and Oxidation

Vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene aren’t the only antioxi­dants. Many phytochemicals also have antioxidant proper­ties, from which we derive great benefit. Antioxidant, once again, is a term referring to any substance that helps to nul­lify the deleterious, albeit natural, side effects of oxygen consumption within cells. Oxygen may seem like a harmless substance. We breathe it in all day long. All cells require oxygen to function. Oxygen is necessary for human life. However, oxygen consumption releases by-products that are potentially damaging to cells.

In our bodies, when cells use oxygen for energy, they pro­duce by-products or waste products called free radicals. Free radicals are oxygen by-products missing an electron, which they have given up during the oxidation process.

Free radi­cals “roam” through the body searching for electrons to cor­rect the imbalance. The nearest molecule with an available electron is “robbed” by the free radical, and every cell robbed of an electron is slightly damaged. This is a natural process. Our cell membranes contain vitamin E to help neu­tralize free radical activity before cell damage can occur.

However, our bodies weren’t designed to handle the on­slaught of free radicals produced by environmental pollu­tants common to everyday life today: car exhaust, cigarette smoke, certain chemical additives in foods, and so on. With­out sufficient antioxidant protection, over time, free radical damage can become an insurmountable obstacle to good health. Many scientists believe that cumulative free radical damage contributes to chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and macular degeneration.

The name antioxidant suggests that these compounds nul­lify the negative effects of oxidation on cells, and that is ex­actly what they do. If you dipped a cut piece of apple in lemon juice, it wouldn’t turn brown as quickly because lemon juice contains ascorbic acid (a common form of vita­min C), an antioxidant. Another form of oxidation occurs when fat turns rancid. Tocopherols, a common form of vita­min E, are often used to preserve foods with fat because the vitamin E retards the oxidation, or spoilage, process. Ex­actly how antioxidants work is still largely unknown, but they appear to work in several ways in the body.

Antioxi­dants seem to prevent free radical damage in the first place. They also may shuttle carcinogenic compounds generated by free radical damage out of the body before they can do any damage. And, as we’ve mentioned before, while the ver­dict is not yet in on whether antioxidant vitamin supple­ments do any good at all in the prevention of chronic disease, antioxidant consumption from fresh vegetables does seem to offer a significant measure of protection against free radical damage.

MEDITERRANEAN WAYS TO ADD VEGETABLES

How did the people eating the traditional Mediterranean diet pack so many vegetables into their daily meals? Easily and deliciously. In the Mediterranean, vegetable consump­tion is not just a matter of eating any vegetable at any time, in whatever state is most convenient. Vegetable selection is a matter of pride, vegetable preparation an art, and vegetable consumption a pure pleasure. Most essentially, in the Mediterranean, vegetables are chosen according to what is in season.

Outdoor produce markets throughout the Mediterranean offer the season’s best, freshest, most vibrant vegetables. Your local grocer, farmer’s market, or produce stand is also likely to feature the freshest locally grown produce. Even if the vegetables in season in your area aren’t those in season in the Mediterranean, eating the freshest seasonal produce is still eating in the Mediterranean way. Seek out the best sources for vegetables in your area, and you may discover that vegetables taste much better than you think. Here are a few more Mediterranean-inspired tips for adding vegetables to your day. You’ll wonder how you ever ate without them!

Looking for a fast-food lunch? A wedge of hearty wheat bread, a small chunk of feta or other cheese, a few slices of ripe tomato, a handful of leafy greens drizzled with olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and a ripe peach or other seasonal fruit for dessert take less time to prepare than going through the drive-through. Bring your Mediterranean lunch to work with you and everyone will wonder what upscale deli supplied your meal.The next time you make spaghetti, stir a shredded carrot and a finely chopped green or red pepper, a few mushrooms, or a handful of chopped spinach into the sauce. Vegetable additions add color, flavor, and nutritional power to your pasta dinner.Instead of grilling burgers, grill vegetables, Mediterranean style. Slice onions, peppers, zucchini, portabella mushroom caps, eggplant, and tomatoes into thick slices, drizzle with olive oil, and grill. If you want to add a Middle Eastern flair, skewer the vegetables into shish kebabs. A chunk or two of chicken or lamb among the vegetables would be authentic and would add an extra dash of protein. Serve with lemon wedges.Drizzle those plain vegetables with a little olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh grated cheese, or garnish with a splash of tomato sauce or a few sun-dried tomatoes. Tomato sauce also adds culinary interest to broiled fish.If you can relate to former U.S. President George H. W. Bush when it comes to broccoli (his aversion to this beautiful vegetable was well known), maybe you just haven’t had it cooked really well. Try steaming broccoli just until it is very bright green and tender. Toss with a little olive oil, sea salt, minced garlic, and a few flakes of red pepper. Serve and eat immediately. Perfectly cooked broccoli is a joy. Overcooked or old broccoli is enough to make anyone dislike the stuff.Leafy green salads are an important part of many Mediterranean meals. Get in the habit of including a bowl of leafy greens with olive oil and a little lemon juice or vinegar with at least one meal every day. A few extra chopped vegetables and a little grated cheese will make your greens even more interesting and nutrient-rich. (Just remember to forgo the creamy dressing in favor of a dressing with an olive oil base.) Do you think you don’t have enough time to chop up a salad? Take advantage of food industry technology and splurge on ready-to-eat bagged veggies and greens. Selections are plentiful, many types are organic, and they come pre washed. What could be quicker?Eat pizza in the Mediterranean style. Unlike American pizzas, Mediterranean pizzas are typically thin, light concoctions with just a few toppings. Fresh tomato sauce and one or two featured vegetables (mushrooms, garlic slices, onion, zucchini, broccoli, peppers) and a very light sprinkling of mozzarella or Parmesan cheese on a fresh-baked (or store-bought, if you are pressed for time) whole-grain crust makes a perfect light dinner. Many Mediterranean pizzas don’t even include cheese. In the mood for some-thing more substantial? The more veggies, the better! Add roasted eggplant, mushrooms, red peppers (better than green if you want that lycopene punch)—you name it! See how much your pizza can hold. Load up and enjoy!Are you or your kids getting bored with peanut butter sandwiches? Add chopped or shredded carrots for a surprising, refreshing, flavorful crunch.Pumpkin is an American vegetable, but its nutritional value is Mediterranean in spirit! Stir canned pumpkin into hot oatmeal for breakfast with a little cinnamon and brown sugar. Add a generous spoonful to applesauce for a light dessert, or stir some into vanilla yogurt for an added zing.Microwave a sweet potato or yam until soft for a quick, carotenoid- and fiber-rich snack, or try baked sweet potato fries or yam chips, brushed lightly with olive oil and baked at 400 degrees until lightly browned and fork-tender, about twenty minutes, or longer if you’ve got a large pan full.

The one thing you can do to make your diet more “Mediterranean” is to begin eating more fresh vegetables to-day. Whether or not they were traditionally grown and consumed in the Mediterranean, the very concept of eating the vegetables grown on the land around you captures the essence of the traditional Mediterranean diet. Vegetables add beauty to your plate, excitement to your palate, and a host of vital substances to your body.