ANTIOXIDANTS – ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH?
We’re on the home stretch now, and you should find the final two changes relatively easy. This is because if you’ve been following steps 1 to 8, chances are you’ll already be doing them without realizing. But the health benefits for women with PCOS of these final two suggestions are so powerful that we’ve decided to highlight them.
Let’s begin with antioxidants – a group of vitamins, minerals and unique compounds with special health benefits that are fantastic for women with PCOS.
WHY?
Our bodies are actually battlegrounds for infection and diseases. Simple body functions such as breathing or physical activity, and other lifestyle habits, such as smoking, produce substances called free radicals that attack healthy cells and arteries. Without intervention, free radicals wreak havoc at a cellular level and make you more susceptible to heart disease, certain types of cancers and signs of premature ageing (including wrinkles).
Antioxidants in your body work to counteract the action of free radicals, and for women with PCOS research13 has shown them to be extremely beneficial for long-term health and daily vitality.
HOW?
Make sure you’re getting plenty of antioxidants in your diet every day by eating lots of fruits, vegetables and wholegrains – ideally five portions of vegetables and three portions of fruit a day.
A vegetable portion is a mug-full of raw vegetables or a small cup of cooked. A fruit portion is one medium banana, orange or apple. (Remember, when you eat your fruit always have some protein at the same time, like some low-fat cheese or a handful of nuts.)
Fresh-pressed juices, smoothies, soups and frozen vegetables all count towards your portions, and you can maximize their antioxidant power by eating them raw. The next best thing is to steam or stir-fry rather than boil. If you must boil, keep the nutrient-rich water or stock to use in soups or casseroles.
Antioxidant Power
Beta Carotene: Beta carotene is one of 50 carotenoids in foods that convert to vitamin A in the body. It’s usually found in red- and orange-coloured fruits and vegetables and in some dark green ones. Food sources include red, orange, deep-yellow and some dark-green leafy vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, apricots, cantaloupe, mangoes, red and yellow peppers. You may also have heard of the carotenoid lycopene, found in tomatoes and which appears to protect against many diseases, including cancers.
Vitamin E: Helps protect the body from cell damage that can lead to cancer, heart disease, and cataracts as we age. Vitamin E works together with other antioxidants, such as vitamin C, to offer protection from diabetes and heart disease. Food sources include cold-pressed vegetable oils, wheat germ, wholegrain products, seeds, nuts and oily fish.
Vitamin C: The most famous antioxidant is vitamin C. Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid. Besides being an antioxidant, vitamin C plays an important role in fighting infections and keeping the walls of blood vessels firm, and gums healthy. Vitamin C is water soluble and is not retained in your body, so try to top up your levels every day with citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, tangerines), sweet peppers, strawberries, kiwis, broccoli and potato skins.
Selenium: If you eat a variety of grains from various places, you have a better chance of an adequate intake of the anti-cancer antioxidant selenium, but many countries have now got such poor levels of selenium in the soil that an increasing number of doctors worldwide recommend a supplement (one company in the UK has even launched a selenium-rich bread made from wheat grown on naturally enriched soil). Selenium is found in nuts, seafood, red meats, poultry, cereals, barley and other grains and breads.
Zinc: When zinc is deficient in the diet, metabolic rate drops and this can trigger blood sugar and hormone imbalances. Zinc is found in spinach, broccoli, green peas, green beans, tomato juice, lentils, oysters, shrimp, crab, turkey (dark meat), lean ham, lean ground beef, sunflower seeds, oily fish, lean sirloin steak, plain yoghurt, Swiss cheese, tofu and ricotta cheese.
SURPRISING SOURCES OF ANTIOXIDANTS
Red Wine: Two glasses of red wine a day provides a great source of antioxidants. More than this will have the opposite effect and leave you less, not more, able to fight off infections. Red wine contains bioflavenoids, which help towards reducing blood clots and, therefore, strokes. You need to drink three times the amount of blackcurrant juice to get the same effect as red wine – seven glasses of orange juice or 12 glasses of white wine.
Dark chocolate: Dark (not milk) chocolate provides one of the richest sources of antioxidants called catechins. Although good for you, chocolate in itself is still a fattening food, so eat it in moderation.
Brazil nuts: Brazils are very rich in selenium, and as little as three nuts a day will fulfil your requirements. Cashews, walnuts and almonds are nearly as good. Research has shown that when selenium levels are too low in the body, the risk of cancer is greatly increased.
Blueberries:There’s evidence that natural antioxidant chemicals in fruit can reverse age-related memory loss. Blueberries and many richly coloured fruits such as strawberries – and veg like spinach – will help with this natural ‘brain fix’.
Green tea: Green tea is a far healthier choice than black tea…although all are good at reducing the risk of heart disease by boosting the antioxidant action in blood plasma. A single cup of green tea a day brings great health benefits. Studies show that green tea drinkers are far less likely to develop hypertension – up to 46 per cent less in fact. People who drink more than four cups can cut hypertension by 65 per cent!
SAMPLE ANTIOXIDANT-RICH MENU
Breakfast: fruit salad, mixed seeds; glass of skimmed organic milk
Mid-morning snack: Dried apricots or pear; 3 Brazil nuts
Lunch: Vegetable and lentil soup; granary roll with cottage cheese and tomatoes or red peppers; apple tart with raspberries and soya cream
Mid-afternoon snack: Grapes or cherries; 3 walnuts; 3 squares dark chocolate
Dinner: Baked sweet potato with chickpea, tomato, peppers, onions, garlic topping; big green salad (spring onions, lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, green beans, avocado); steamed apple with cinnamon and raisins; small glass of red wine
10) EAT MORE PHYTOESTROGENS
Phytoestrogens are trace substances in our food which mimic and supplement the action of the body’s own oestrogen. They are a comparatively recent discovery, and researchers are exploring the nutritional role of these substances in such diverse metabolic functions as the regulation of cholesterol and maintaining proper bone density post-menopause.
Phytoestrogens mainly fall into three classes:
1 Isoflavones – found in legumes such as lentils and soy beans
2 Lignans – found in nearly all grains and vegetables, the best source being linseeds
3 Coumestans
