Carrot
Carrot is an extremely rich food source of beta-carotene. The name carotene, which is a form of pro-vitamin, has been derived from carrot. The carotene is converted into vitamin A by the liver and it is also stored in the organ. Carrot contains so much beta-carotene that liberal intake of this vegetable only, once a day will supply sufficient vitamin A for meeting the requirement of a day. If carrot is to be taken in cooked form, the cooking time should not exceed fifteen to twenty minutes. It can also be baked like potatoes. Butter or vegetable oil may be used for dressing.
Carrot is a strong antioxidant and a powerful cleansing food by virtue of its richness in beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is an orange pigment that helps prevent heart attacks, irregular heartbeats, strokes and cancer, especially lung cancer. It boosts immune functioning and destroys single oxygen-type free radicals. Cancer patients often have low blood levels of Beta-carotene, indicating low beta-carotene in their diets. According to one study, beta-carotene levels in the blood of lung cancer patients was one-third lower than that in healthy individuals. Other rich food sources, of beta-carotene besides carrot, are dark orange and dark green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, dried apricots, spinach and pumpkins.
Fruits & Vegetables
Foods like fresh fruits and vegetables contain a variety of strong antioxidants. They are especially concentrated in quercetin, which is one of the strongest biologically active members of the flavonoid family and a powerful antioxidant. This compound helps prevent several diseases. “Quercetin is one of the most powerful anti-cancer agents ever discovered,” says Dr. Terrance Leighton, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of California at Berkeley. It inactivates several cancer-causing agents, preventing damage to cell DNA, and inhibits enzymes that help tumor growth. Quercetin is also anti-inflammatory anti-bacterial, antifungal and antiviral.
Quercetin is antithrombotic, and thus helps prevent formation of blood clots. As an antioxidant, it absorbs oxygen free radicals and helps keep fat from becoming oxidized. Thus, quercetin helps prevent artery damage from oxygen free radicals and oxidized LDL cholesterol, thereby helps keep arteries clean and open.
When a person eats the antioxidants, as contained in fresh fruits and vegetables, they are infused in the tissue and fluids. There they help resist the attack of oxidants, there by preventing their damaging effects on health. A person can get the most disease fighting antioxidants by liberal intake of raw uncooked fruits especially the deep colored ones, and fresh raw vegetables.
Garlic
Garlic is a powerful antioxidant. This explains some of its beneficial properties in preventing atherosclerosis, cancer and some other chronic diseases. The garlic constituents that reduce the oxidation of fats in the body are alliin, diallyi heptasulfide, diallyi hexasulfide, diallyi pentasulfide, diallyi tetrasulfide, diallyi trisulfide, S-allyl cysteine, S-allyl mercapto cysteine and selenium.
One clove of garlic has about the same antioxidant power in a laboratory dish as 15 mg of vitamin C or 4.5 mg of vitamin E. Both these doses are low compared to the minimum daily-recommended intake for these vitamins, but garlic may also increase antioxidation in the body by supporting the body’s natural antioxidant system and making fats harder to oxidize. Garlic can be used as flavoring in the preparation of cooked food or rubbed after crushing over a salad bowl. However, for best results, it should be chewed raw to derive maximum benefits from its compounds. Excessive use of garlic should, however, be avoided.
Ginger
Ginger has been used for centuries in Asia in treating a variety of diseases. It is more effective in some respect than many costly drugs. Ginger is a powerful antioxidant. It helps prevent and treat migraine and arthritis and acts as an antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory agent in humans. It is an antibiotic in test tubes and anti-ulcer agent in animals. It also ranks very high in anticancer activity.
Ginger is available in two forms, fresh and dried. Both the forms are effective. As the taste of ginger is not very good, it is mostly used in cooked vegetables. It is a common constituent of curry powder.
Grapes
Grapes are rich storehouse of antioxidant and anti-cancer compounds. Red grapes are high in antioxidant quercetin, which is lacking in white and green varieties. The skins of this fruit contain resveratrol that inhibit blood platelet clumping and the resultant blood clot formation. It boosts good-type HDL Cholesterol. Red grapes have shown anti-bacterial and antiviral activities in test tubes. Grapeseed oil also raises good-type HDL Cholesterol.