Creating meals that support antioxidant defence system

To create and eat meals that will support the antioxidant defense system we should use the nutrients from the sources of the different components of the defense system. Not only that, eating meals created with the plant sources of the components of the defense system will help to boost the immunity of the body through enhancing the antioxidant defense system.

Furthermore, eating food with the components of the enzyme antioxidant defense system will be in tandem with the quote of Hippocrates, thousands of years ago: He said, “Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be food.”

In other words, eating a meal with the components of the enzyme antioxidant defense system is capable of providing sufficient antioxidants to neutralize free radicals in the body. In preparing your meals therefore, one should make a deliberate effort to incorporate sources of the components of the enzyme antioxidant defense system. Today, we begin with the antioxidant defense system and we are using the enzyme antioxidant defense system.

I have presented the sources of the trace elements and vitamins both of which are antioxidants that neutralize free radicals as a reminder of the nutrients to use in producing meals we should be eating.

Sources of trace minerals
Copper: Cocoa, whole grains, wheat bran, sunflower seeds, and cashew nuts. Others are seafood and organ meat. Zinc: Oysters, red meat, groundnuts, almonds, chickpeas, dairy products, such as milk and cheese.

Magnesium: Leafy green vegetables, whole grains, Brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, avocadoes, bananas, black-eyed peas, lima beans, and soybeans.

Iron: Leafy green vegetables, soy foods, meat, chicken, eggs, and beans.

Selenium: Tuna, shrimps, salmon, sardines, cod, chicken, turkey, asparagus, barley, and brown rice. Other sources are flaxseed, spinach, cabbage, garlic, and broccoli.

Summary of sources of vitamins that are found in the antioxidant defense system

Vitamin E. Plant sources of vitamin E include; Vegetables: spinach, kale and collard greens. Nuts: almonds, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, and hazelnuts. Seeds: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seed, and sesame seed. Fruits: avocado. Seafood/fish: shellfish, shrimps, crayfish, oysters, salmon, and herring. Oils: olive oil, wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, grape seed oil, canola and corn oil.

Vitamin C. Sources of Vitamin C:
Fruits: citrus fruits, tomatoes, strawberries, pawpaw, and mangoes.

Vegetables: Brussels sprouts, lettuce, spinach, potatoes and cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli. Red and green peppers also contain Vitamin C.

Vitamin A. Sources of vitamin A include Vegetables: carrots, dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, Mustard greens, Collard greens, Turnip greens, beet greens, and broccoli. Other types of vegetables that are high in vitamin A are Romaine lettuce, pumpkin, sweet red, yellow and green peppers, and peas.

Fruits: mango, pawpaw (papaya), cantaloupe melon, dried apricots, and squash.

Fish/seafood: tuna, mackerel, and oysters. Oils: cod liver oil.

The three enzymes of the enzyme antioxidant defense system are also produced in the body. Deficiencies of these enzymes are rare. We have now come to the stage of creating meals from these elements, knowing from what sources they have come.

Before I show the different meals, I will like to show several categories of types of meals commonly eaten by human beings: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. These can be made up of salads, [vegetables], fruits [fruit salads], main meal, snacks, swallows, oils, beverages, etc. These meals I am going to write about are mainly suggestions only. However, in writing about them, I found out that they are more or less what we are already used to.

Breakfast: Our breakfast should comprise of a selection of the different kinds of fruits in the list. The idea is to concentrate on fruits that are in season. Like I have always said, lemon should regularly be taken with our first one or two glasses of water in the morning. It serves as a detoxifier and along with the water; it is also a tonic.

From the list of fruits that there are, we can eat two or more different types of fruits every day in a week. Let us not forget that there are requirements of the body for other types of fruits and not only for boosting the defense system. There are fruits like pawpaw, watermelon, and avocados. Apples, strawberries, and bananas will also go down well.

At such a time in the morning, a hot cup of green tea will add to the antioxidants coming from the fruits.