The Healthy Vegetarian Chooses Bright Foods For the Most Antioxidants

In keeping with my New Year’s Resolutions, I’ve been trying some new foods. I’ve read that foods with brighter colors contain more antioxidants.  Red bell peppers instead of green, golden butternut squash over zucchini, Blood oranges, bright tomatoes right off the vine…..okay you’ve got awhile to wait for those, but they sure sound wonderful. Don’t they?

Not sure what antioxidants are?  Here’s an explanation:

Antioxidants are vitamins and chemicals in our foods that can prevent or slow oxidation damage in our bodies. When our cells use oxygen, they naturally produce free radicals as by-products. Free radicals are molecules with incomplete electron shells that make them more chemically reactive than those with complete electron shells. They try to steal electrons from other molecules, including DNA molecules, causing damage. Over time, this process contributes to health problems such as heart disease, hardening of the arteries, strokes, diabetes, cataracts, arthritis, neuro-degeneration and cancer.

Antioxidants contained in some nutrients we eat act as “free radical scavengers” that prevent and repair damage caused by these oxidized rogues. Think of antioxidants as “mopping up” dangerous free radicals – they neutralize the electrical charge and prevent the free radical from taking electrons from other molecules. Antioxidants also enhance the immune system and thereby lower the risk of infection.

One of new foods that I tried was little blue potatoes. The blue potatoes were purple inside.  I chopped the potatoes, rubbed them with olive oil, salted and peppered them, then I roasted them in the oven. Yum. My girls thought that they looked crazy, but they agreed that they tasted great.

I picked up a bag of potatoes from Trader Joes today. It contains red, white, and blue potatoes.  I’m going to use those potatoes in a Potato Leek Soup and I’ll share that recipe with you tomorrow.

Image credit: Michelle