What are antioxidants and what is their role in keeping us healthy, preventing disease and slowing down the process of aging? Don’t be confused; they are only vitamins, minerals or other elements that stop our cells from oxidizing through the body’s use of oxygen. These oxidized cells take unstable forms and become unpaired electrons called free radicals. Smoking, toxins, radiation and environmental pollution also cause free radicals to multiply. They interact with other molecules damaging cells and DNA. The intervention of antioxidants results in slowing down the process of oxidation.

Most fruits and vegetables provide some antioxidants. Antioxidants perform the job of repairing and regenerating our cells, preventing many diseases as well as slowing the aging process. They are found everywhere in natural food such as phytosterols, garlic, onion, green tea and fibers.

Phytosterols are cholesterol-like chemicals derived from plants. These compounds bind onto “bad” cholesterol, stopping its absorption from the gut into the blood stream. Legumes such as soybeans are rich in sterols. Oranges, apples and bananas are fruits which contain these powerful chemicals. Beets, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots and onions have a high phytosterol content as do wheat germ, nuts and some vegetable oils. My advice is to include some of them in every meal.

I imagine you don’t eat garlic because of bad breath. Read this and then you may change your mind. Garlic is in fact a multi-purpose antioxidant due to its sulfur-bearing compounds which also cause bad breath. But allicin in garlic has many health benefits. It prevents cancer, diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disorders. Garlic, an antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal agent, increases two blood enzymes — catalase and glutathione peroxidase. These two enzymes neutralize free radicals, dilate blood vessels and thin the blood thus improving general cardiovascular conditions. Because of these benefits, I recommend garlic to everyone and I will suggest a few ways to use it: Crush garlic directly into your salad dressing. Sauté your vegetables lightly in olive oil and garlic. Serve yogurt and cucumber salad with crushed garlic. Put chopped garlic in virgin olive oil or with olives and pickles. There are a zillion ways to enhance the flavor of food with garlic. To remove the smell of garlic from your breath, gargle with lemon juice for a few seconds or munch a sprig of fresh mint or parsley.

Onion also contains allicin just as garlic does. It is an effective antioxidant against blood cholesterol and sugar and reduces blood pressure. Onion is suggested for urinary tract infections, osteoporosis and arthritis. Quercetin in onions lowers the risk of stroke and heart disease by reducing the lumping of blood platelets. Add flavor to your recipes with onions.

Green tea is another antioxidant which is much used in the Far East. It stimulates the liver enzymes and cleanses toxins from the liver. Polyphenol in the tea has antioxidant properties. It protects from digestive tract cancers and damage to the cardiovascular system. For real benefits, you should drink two to three cups of green tea every day. Unfortunately, supermarkets here do not offer a big selection. I prefer Japanese green tea which is not readily available here.

Fruit and vegetables, legumes and whole grains are rich in fiber. Fiber is of two kinds: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber that dissolves in water is in oat bran, the legume family, some fruits, whole grains and seeds. Pectin found in citrus fruits and their skins, whole grains (oats), seeds (sesame), legumes (beans) and gums (gum Arabic) are also good sources of soluble fiber. This fiber binds to cholesterol and stops its absorption into the blood stream.

The indigestible roughage in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains is insoluble fiber. This type increases stool bulk in the intestines and prevents constipation. High fiber intake improves the elimination of digested food. It is important to think of the fiber content of your meal. You should include fresh fruits, half-cooked vegetables and of course whole grains to increase roughage.

(Mariam Alireza is a holistic science specialist. Send comments to [email protected].)