Healthy Habits

other beneficial components, such as healthy fats, protein, low caloric density or a high density of vitamins and minerals. While people who eat foods high in antioxidants can experience benefits such as a lower risk of heart disease, cancer and other ailments, those who receive their antioxidants through supplements such as vitamin C pills usually do not receive the same boons.

For instance, in a 2007 study published by the Archives of Internal Medicine, vitamin E, ascorbic acid and beta carotene did not benefit 1,450 women at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Another study, published in 2005 by the Women’s Health Study, followed almost 40,000 women ages 45 years or older across an average of 10 years. It indicated that vitamin E did not overall help women prevent heart disease, but it might be more helpful for women over 65. Still, even that study noted that this finding was unusual. Another study published in 2008 by the Journal of American Medical Association looked at the effects of vitamin E and C on major cardiovascular events across 14,641 male physicians (50- years plus) over 10 years. Neither appeared to help; vitamin E even correlated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

Research isn’t conclusive as to why supplements do not show a stronger benefit, but a prevailing idea is that with food, the sum is greater than its parts. “When you take a supplement, you’re only taking one small piece in the puzzle,” Weeks says, “not a synergistic effect that you do with food.”

Other factors might include the body’s lesser ability to absorb and optimize supplements, and the common correlation of a healthy diet and an overall healthy, active lifestyle. If you do buy supplements, please note that they are not regulated by the Food & Drug Administration, so the company’s claims are not clinically proven and their substances technically aren’t verified.

ADDING ANTIOXIDANTS

As for all of the many types of antioxidants? Don’t get caught up with the names; just aim for having a variety of food. One of the reasons that superfoods are usually colorful is because the pigmentation is where the antioxidants are. So remember the maxim from your school cafeteria days: Eat the rainbow— leafy greens, vivid fruit such as blueberries, carrots, etc. You’ll get your variety of antioxidants (which, while different, all work toward similar ends) and all of the other nutrients these foods have, to boot.

“In general, the food industry is so overhyped,” Weeks says. “It’s so funny how diets can be spun and repackaged in new fancy tinfoil and wrapping. … It’s about eating a balance of all the different food groups with a predominate focus on whole grains, fruits and vegetables.”

The fresh produce of summer is often high in antioxidants, but here are three neutral-colored foods that you should also consider:

Coffee: While some antioxidants are lost when you roast the coffee, other antioxidants are formed during the same process. One example is chlorogenic acid; 10 grams of roasted coffee beans can have 15-325 mg chlorogenic acids (with an average of 200 mg). (To compare, lowbush blueberries have 65.12 mg of chlorogenic acid per one-cup serving, and highbush blueberries have 19.24 mg.)

Eggs: Eggs should be on the list of common superfoods because they’re packed with nutrition. Antioxidants include selenium (29 percent of your recommended daily intake) and 10 percent of vitamins A and E. Other antioxidant compounds include ovalbumin and ovotransferrin in the egg whites, together constituting 66 to 67 percent of it, as well as phospholipids and carotenoids in the egg yolk.

Mushrooms: According to a 2017 study by researchers at Penn State, mushrooms of many types, particularly porcini, contain high amounts of ergothioneine and glutathione. Unlike other foods, cooking mushrooms may not detract from their antioxidant value because ergothioneine is more heat stable than other substances. 

Always consult your doctor if you have health concerns or before making any major dietary changes.

TURKISH-SPICED LAMB BURGERS WITH GRILLED PEPPERS AND CREAMY FETA (RECIPE PAGE 28)