Latest / Stacked Intent: Your Guide to Authentic, Intentional Living / Why Antioxidants Matter for Your Health and the Best Food Sources to Add Today

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Why Antioxidants Matter for Your Health and the Best Food Sources to Add Today · Stacked Intent: Your Guide to Authentic, Intentional Living

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_01: Hello all and welcome to the Stack Input Podcast.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_01: I am Dr.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: Stockhouse Morrison and I look forward to having you join us as we go along with relationship finance and nutrition.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: We're going to look at the DNA of how you can take the birds' life and dreams that maybe start scatter and help give you some resources for mapping out a plan.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: My background is social sciences and I have a certification for family life education.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I look forward to sharing those with you throughout the podcast.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to have lots of fun.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: And you do need we need to become authentically new.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: You're going to look at the ways that you can be your authentic self and be intentional with yourself.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you're going to finish each episode being motivated to live your life more authentically.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_01: But in these specific episodes, we are going to have a special co-host and we're going to let her introduce herself.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, my name is Ashley Garan and I'm a USB Georgia Family Consumers on Elixir for both Taylor and Evans Counties in the southeastern part of the state of Georgia.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm excited to be here today, and I have some background information from an education standpoint and then also from a community standpoint.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: And this is something I'm super passionate about, and I'm excited to work with Becca to talk more about being intentional and the food that you can use and the things that you put into your body.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Stack to Dip where we discuss and drop tips on how we're going to be intentionally stacking your life.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm Becca the owner of Stack and Dent, and today we're going to be talking about antioxidants with our co-host Ashley.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get started.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: And actually, what are our objectives today?
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, so today we're going to start talking about what are free radicals and what do those have to do with antioxidants.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: Then we'll talk about how to identify sources of antioxidants and we will describe the health benefits of antioxidants.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: So what are antioxidants?
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: Well, glad you asked.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: Antioxidants are substances that counteract the negative effect effects that free radicals can have in the body.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: So free radicals are things that are created within our body and they're highly unstable molecules that can cause what we call oxidative stress, which can trigger cell damage and is thought to play a role in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and certain eye diseases.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: So when we think about free radicals, they can come from the environment, they can come from smoking, sunlight, and just chemicals that are naturally produced in our body.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: They are even naturally formed when you exercise and your body converts your food into energy.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: So they're not always from bad things, but it's the way that the electrons interact within our bodies.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: So these free radicals can be harmful and they can damage our good cells.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: And so antioxidants help to counteract those negative effects.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: Where can we find those antioxidants?
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you can find them in fruits and vegetables and whole grain products.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: Those are your main sources of antioxidants.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: They come in the form of vitamins and phytochemicals as well.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: In lab studies, there are lots of phytochemicals that act as antioxidants and they neutralize the fruit radicals and remove their power to create damage.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then phytochemicals are naturally occurring compounds and plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: So we talk a lot about eating lots of fruits and veggies, but sometimes we don't necessarily talk about why.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: And that's because one of the main benefits of them is they do contain those antioxidants, which do help to fight against those free radicals.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: So what would be some of our fruits and veggies and whole grains that have higher antioxidants?
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: So your darker colored fruits and veggies, like your blues and your purples, those have certain antioxidants, and we'll talk briefly about the different colors.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: So we encourage people to eat a rainbow, so as many different colored foods as possible, because like your purple or deep blue or reddish purple foods, like blueberries and cherries, contain certain antioxidants called anthocyanins.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: And then like your lighter colored ones that are kind of your yellowish, maybe um red um fruits and vegetables, like onions, grapes, berries, apples, um, and even asparagus contain things like quiserotin.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then there are some that contain catechins or tannins or phytosterols.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: So, like your phytosterols are found in almonds, cashews, peanuts, sesame seeds, or wheat, and and lutein is found in your leafy greens, which all these really big weird terms, but basically just highlight the fact that different colored fruits and vegetables contain different antioxidants, which is why it's important to eat a variety of colors.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: So when we make, should we make each meal colorful or just one?
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: Each of you can, but throughout your day, when you think about one color helps to increase our our just our likability for certain things.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so if your plate looks more appealing and you have different colors or different textures on your plate versus just having maybe all white or yellow foods.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: So a plate that has maybe corn, potatoes, a roll, and a piece of baked chicken is gonna look a little more bland than if it has like baked chicken, some green beans, um, a colorful salad.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: So adding some color can also um increase your appetite and make you want to eat healthier things because it's gonna look more appealing to you.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: And right now, finding color isn't as hard as in the other seasons since things are so fresh.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: Find more color when you go to a local farmer's market or something like that to get some of that color.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: And some of my summer, summer favorite colorful plates are definitely corn macabre is one of my favorites.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: And then I also like blueberries and watermelon and zucchinis in in season right now.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: So you can definitely make a beautifully colored plate from all of the fresh produce that's in season right now in Georgia.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah, and in Alabama too.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: My husband's I guess you would say plate, his dishes, because it's in to-go containers.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: But this week he's eating collard greens with corn, and he had me put sausage in it, but he has collard greens, corn, and then a piece of cornbread.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: So he's getting his colorful lunch plates.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: Does he like tomatoes?
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, he loves tomatoes, and add a slice of tomato in there too.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: Add a little more color.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: Well, his tomatoes he's wanting as his tomato sandwiches, so I do love a tomato sandwich.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: He would like some homemade bread to go with his tomato sandwiches.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you better get on it.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: Why make some homemade bed for him?
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: I made the collards.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: Those are good.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, collards are definitely one of those ones that are higher in antioxidants.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: So the darker the leaf, um, the more the more nutrient benefits that you can get there.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: And that lutein is especially important.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and you can find it in kale, spinach, collard, collards, and turnip greens.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and collards are one of those things that aren't aren't that hard to cook mostly.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, his I put in the crock pot and they cook for 10 hours and then just portion them out.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: So they're delicious and a great source of iron too.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: I forgot this morning when I got up that I had done that last night and I was like, why does the kitchen have a smell?
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: Why does the kitchen have a smell?
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: There's something in the crock pot.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: Oh very good for Seth.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: Do I?
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_01: I said, I'm glad for Seth, and he's eating all of his healthy things.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: And that I mean, you've also got strawberries that are kind of coming to the end of their season, but they're still in season a little bit.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: So you can add in some more color that way.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: So where do you get some of this information on why antioxidants is important?
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: So the one of my favorite places to look is the American Institute for Cancer Research.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so we talk about cancer with antioxidants because of those free radicals.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: So when free radicals are just loose and in your body, they can be very destructive and they can, like I said, damage the good cells.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but the American Institute for Cancer Research talks a lot about phytochemicals and why they're important in health protection in the body, and that some of these phytochemicals may increase cancer cells' tendency to self-destruct.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: So others may also stop carcinogens before they have a chance to begin the process of cancer development.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they also talk about phytochemicals and antioxidants being important in blocking the development of new blood vessels that tumors need.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: And some also may fight inflammation.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: So any even though the antioxidants are good for the rest of our body, too, specifically when we talk about them in relation to cancer, um, a good place to find information about that is on the American Institute for Cancer Research um website.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, awesome.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, great.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: That also means that you always have you've got things that have been researched and have some validation behind them.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, if you just Google antioxidants, there are a there's a lot of things um that you could potentially read about, but it is important to make sure that you find something that's research-based and that has been um has been vetted by either a registered dietitian or someone that is a specialist in um in cancer research or nutrition.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: So why should we be concerned about the antioxidants?
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: What are some of these health benefits that we can get from making our plate colorful?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: Well, there's lots of different substances that can act as any as antioxidants, so the antioxidants themselves are not necessarily the substance.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's more of more of a description of a way that these substances act.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: But vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin E, selenium, and magnesium are some of these different substances that act as antioxidants.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and those are important because beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: So it converts to vitamin A in your body.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it's linked with certain types of cancer lowered risk, and it's associated with good eye health.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: Vitamin A is that thing that's helpful for us with our eyes and is associated with our eye health, which I guess is important for our everyday, isn't it?
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: What about vitamin E and vitamin C?
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so both vitamin E and vitamin C aid in boosting the body's immune system.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: So we think about vitamin A with carrots.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: So if you if your mom or grandmother ever told you to eat your carrots because it's good for your eyes, they were not wrong because of that beta carotene converting to vitamin A in your body, and it does support good eye health.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: But then also vitamin E and vitamin C are found in lots of fruits and vegetables and are associated with your immune system.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, selenium is another mineral that's needed for reproduction, your thyroid gland function, DNA production, and protecting the body from those free radicals and infection.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: And then magnesium aids in regulating muscle and nerve function, your blood sugar levels, and your blood pressure, and it helps to make protein, bone, and DNA.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: So all of these antioxidants or all these substances act as antioxidants in the body and are found in all of those fruits and vegetables.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: So, but the important thing to note is while antioxidants, we love them, they're great, they're associated with fighting off those free radicals.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_01: It is important to note that they are not individually equipped to stave off cancer.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: So just because you consume a lot of vitamin E, or if you take supplements for a particular vitamin or mineral, you're not necessarily boosting your chance by supplementing of fighting off cancer or or you know encouraging the antioxidant um usage, because studies have shown that supplements don't have the same effect on health as eating those antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: So we've mentioned this before, but when you think about eating your fruits and vegetables to get your minerals and to get your vitamins, you're getting more bang for your bug there.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: So not only are you getting vitamin E or not only vitamin A or vitamin C, you're also, if you're eating fruits and vegetables, getting fiber, you're getting other types of fruits and I mean other types of minerals in your body too, um, instead of just one concentrated form.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: So just know don't go buy all the supplements on the counter that you possibly can.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um just try to eat more fruits and vegetables.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: And also be aware of what marketers call superfoods.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: So antioxidants do provide protection against free radicals with their caveats, but it's also important to note the risk of marketers taking advantage of the opportunity to promote fruits and vegetables as superheroes in the fight against cancer.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the antioxidants in them do play multiple roles, but not just in the protection from free radicals.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: So there are lots of articles out there that you can read from research-based resources that talk about um super fruits and superfoods being supermarketing strategies.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so there's not really a particular definition for a super food, but just know that these are ones that they do contain maybe higher levels of antioxidants, um, but they're not necessarily any better for you than in any other particular way.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: So just be cautious of if you see in the grocery store where it says like a super blueberry.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: Well, blueberry is great in and of itself.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't necessarily have to have the term super in front of it for you to pay two or three dollars more.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: So just be aware of that.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: Looking at labels sometimes, sometimes they're there.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: Just because they use the right word means they can add a dollar or two.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_01: So that's right.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: Very true.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: So our recap from today is really defining what free radicals are for y'all, and then identifying that source of antioxidants.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: So making that plate with lots of fruits and vegetables, and then also describing some of those health benefits for you.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_01: So, what would your challenge to the listeners be today, Ashley?
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: I would challenge and encourage you to make your meals and your plates as colorful as possible.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: So we say eat the rainbow.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: So the more colors on your plate, the more of those antioxidants and good benefits that you're gonna have from different sources.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you for sharing with us today what antioxidants are.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: That brings us to the end of this episode of Stactin' T.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: If you love this episode as much as I did, head on over and rate and subscribe so you will never miss an episode.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: New episodes are going to be dropped on Thursdays.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: Until then, this is Beckett, and don't forget to rate your life by Blue.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: This podcast was created, produced, and recorded and