4/24/07 - My body versus yours

All right, so the result that was a big surprise to me: antioxidants. I really expected to ace this section of the test (how competitive can one woman be? Clearly, this isn’t the sort of test one aces, but alas, it’s how I think of it.) I eat all (ok, mostly), the right things; I drink only tea (no coffee) and a fair bit of it, alternating between black, green and white (highest in antioxidants). Even in winter, when most tomatoes are useless red pieces of cardboard, I pay extra for imported and/or heirloom tomatoes so I’ll eat them. I froze piles of blueberries last summer, love broccoli, crave garlic and onions and drink red wine (my favorite part). I should have antioxidants flying out of every pore.

The report explains that antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which can attack DNA, proteins and fats in our cells. And detoxification, logically, removes the toxins we take in from food, water, air or our own bodies. If our antioxidant/detoxification systems aren’t working well, then our bodies won’t function optimally. Rats.

So, how do I increase my intake of antioxidants? And how is it possible that I need more when I know for certain that I consume many more antioxidants than the average human?

And therein lies the beauty of this program: my DNA says I need more antioxidants than nearly anyone because my body isn’t working as optimally as it should in this way. So, here I was, reading – and exceeding – all the published guidelines and feeling quite virtuous about my antioxidant intake, only to discover that for this body, it still may not be enough.

The later charts compare my results with my reported intake. And sure enough, I’m doing well on my antioxidant intake for vitamins A, C and E. However, I’m shortchanging my consumption of cruciferous vegetables and allium vegetables (all the onions: including leeks, scallions, shallots, garlic).

Without remembering what I reported, I feel as though the only way I could increase my intake of alliums is to start putting garlic in my cereal. I have never in my life walked away from a piece of garlic or onion – I put it on my pizza, in virtually every meat I eat and even buy onion/garlic crackers and dips – what’s a gal to do?

Start including caramelized onions as a side dish a couple of times a week is one way to go. The suggestion is to eat half a cup of allium every day. The good news is that I can spread it out over the week, so if I eat a cup of garlic today and want to have a romantic evening tomorrow with someone less fond of garlic than me, I can. Phew.

So, next time, I’ll tackle the more sensitive results – insulin sensitivity – sensitive because it does tie in to my weight.

Questions:

Do you consume as many antioxidants as “they” recommend? Are you aware of recommendations?

What are your favorites?

Any tricks to incorporating more into your diet?

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