Take care of your skin with antioxidants

You've probably heard of antioxidants and their importance in keeping you from ageing. As well as slowing down ageing, these little treasures are responsible for many aspects of your wellbeing.

Antioxidants have not only a preventive, but also a curative and restorative function.

These substances are capable of slowing down oxidation caused by free radicals that are formed during inflammation, stress, excessive exercise or lack of rest, as well as by the ingestion of certain foods and exposure to chemical pollutants.

In addition to blocking the action of free radicals, they are capable of restoring the damage they have caused, as well as eliminating waste products. All this contributes to slowing down cellular ageing and maintaining your health. Antioxidants can be produced by our bodies and can also be ingested through food. Polyphenols, carotenes and some vitamins and minerals are some of the antioxidants we can add to our diet on a daily basis. Let's see how to do it:

Polyphenols: Polyphenols are natural colouring agents in vegetables which, in addition to their antioxidant power, have an anti-inflammatory action, improve the immune system and help in the absorption of nutrients, among many other functions.

Where to find them:

Cruciferous vegetables: cabbage, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, watercress, turnips, radishes are known for their antioxidant action and for inhibiting tumour development. Do you want to use them in spring? Take note:

Grate the cauliflower by slicing it thinly with a knife or use a mandolin. Place in a salad bowl with a little salt and massage well. Leave to stand for half an hour. Add it to your salads or prepare a salad directly with it. Combines well with olives, avocado and radishes, which are also rich in polyphenols.

2. Cut cabbage and carrots into thin strips, place in a bowl and knead with a pinch of salt. Add a handful of sultanas and place in a vegetable press. In less than an hour you will have a pressed salad that is sweet and full of antioxidants and enzymes. Carrots are rich in carotene, another powerful antioxidant.

3. Blanch the broccoli and serve as a salad with some thinly sliced radishes and a good vinaigrette. My suggestion: 1 tbsp. rice or apple vinegar, 1 tbsp. shiro miso, 1 tbsp. apple concentrate, 1 tbsp. olive oil and a pinch of black pepper previously mixed in a glass jar.

Blue and red plants: black grapes, blueberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, cherries, plums, strawberries, pomegranates, runner beans, red onions, radishes, red cabbage... these polyphenols, known as anthocyanins, inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and slow down platelet aggregation, thus preventing cardiovascular disease. To integrate them into your diet:

1. Take advantage of the fact that it is almost summer and eat fresh fruit between meals as a snack or add it to your dishes. Salads with grapes or pomegranate seeds are very refreshing and visually appealing.

2. Make smoothies for when you come back from the beach or after sport. Choose raspberries and strawberries combined with vegetable drinks and a dash of umeboshi to help balance your energy and alkalise your body after sun and physical exertion.

3. Grated radish juice is not only a powerful antioxidant but also very effective in eliminating heavy metals. You can drink it in the morning, on an empty stomach, for a few days, on its own or reduced with kukicha tea rich in catechins, another powerful antioxidant.

Teas: Green tea, kukicha, hojicha, sencha or matcha are some of the most antioxidant beverages you can make for yourself. The drying processes of the leaves in hojicha and sencha stop natural oxidation and help them retain their antioxidant substances. Kukicha is also known for its alkalising properties and its calcium and vitamin C content. Matcha is one of the most polyphenol-rich beverages and also contains other antioxidants such as chlorophyll, vitamin C and vitamin E, thus helping to fight ageing effectively. You will find a monograph on this drink at this link.

Algae: are particularly rich in antioxidant compounds, xanthophyll and chlorophyll, for example, are found in wakame seaweed, kombu seaweed is rich in polyphenols, and nori seaweed is rich in carotenes. They are thus excellent for cell regeneration and for preventing tissue ageing.

What do I do with them? Incorporating small amounts on a daily basis is very simple:

1. Add a stamp-sized piece of kombu seaweed to the cooking of your pulses. It will not alter the flavour of the stew and will also help to make the cooking process faster and the vegetables more tender.

2. Add an equal-sized piece of wakame seaweed to your soups or purees. This seaweed is one of the basic ingredients of miso soups. It is one of the essential ingredients for our health. Miso also has a great antioxidant power and helps to eliminate toxic substances from our organism.

3. Use nori seaweed in sushi making. Chop it finely and add it to your salads just before serving. And don't forget to pack it in your rucksack when you go out in the mountains. Nori is a powerful remineraliser that will help you regain your strength.

Carotenoids:

Carotenes (a type of carotenoid) have the ability to deactivate free radicals, thus protecting cellular DNA. They help against cholesterol oxidation and reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease.

Where to find them:

Fruits are one of the best sources of carotenes and their advantage is that they are more readily available than vegetables. Grapes, strawberries, raspberries, mangoes, papaya, peaches, apricots and oranges are sources of beta-carotene.

As for vegetables, they can be found in both orange-coloured vegetables: carrots, pumpkin and sweet potatoes, and green vegetables: celery, kale, rocket, watercress and broccoli.

Nori seaweed is also a good source of carotenes.

Vitamin C:

This vitamin helps to scavenge free radicals through its ability to scavenge oxygen, thus preventing oxidation. It is also important for tissue formation and improves iron absorption.

As it is not stored in the body, vitamin C should be present in our diet on a daily basis.

You may be surprised to learn that some vegetables are ahead of citrus fruits in terms of vitamin E content. Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, watercress and parsley are at the top of the list. To maintain their vitamin content, it is best to eat them raw or lightly cooked. Steaming is one of the cooking methods that helps to maintain the vitamin content of food.

Remember to add raw parsley on top of your creams and soups. And if you haven't used it in your salads yet, give it a try, you're sure to be pleasantly surprised.

Lemon is one of the most practical foods to benefit from this vitamin. Include its juice in your vinaigrettes, in spring the flavour we need most is acidic, a tonic for your liver and gall bladder.

Vitamin E:

This vitamin helps maintain the integrity of cell membranes and saves the intake of selenium, one of the most important minerals for our immune system.

Vegetable oils are rich in this vitamin, especially wheat germ, sunflower and almond oil.

Nuts and seeds such as almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds are also an excellent source.

These foods are great as a snack and add a crunchy touch to your meals to encourage chewing, which is so important for good digestion. My suggestion:

Toast the sunflower seeds in a frying pan without oil and when they start to brown, add a few drops of tamari or shoyu and stir until dry. Leave to cool and store in a glass jar. You can use them on top of your breakfast cereal spreads, in salads, or in your cereal stir-fries.

2. Do the same with the pumpkin seeds, this time adding a few drops of umeboshi vinegar. They will be crunchy, slightly salty and really tasty. They are ideal for balancing out your sweet cereal or vegetable creams. Add them on top before serving.

Article written by Isabel Morenomacrobiotic consultant and creator of Macrosano.