Red Fruits To Protect Against Stress

It is more than proven that stress wreaks havoc on the body and health. We must avoid it but sometimes it can be difficult to avoid it. However, it must be borne in mind that in those times of stress what we can do is take extra antioxidants (we can obtain them through our diet). In this way we will neutralize the excess of free radicals that the body produces in these situations and that can lead to premature aging.

In this sense, according to a study published in the prestigious Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry , out of a long list of more than a hundred foods, berries are among the top ten that provide us with the most antioxidants. In times of stress, we therefore bet on strawberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries …

Stress, free radicals and aging

Why do we grow old? One of the most popular theories about aging states that aging occurs as a result of damage and alterations in our cells caused by free radicals.

These compounds originate when the body uses oxygen from the air we breathe to convert food into fuel. In order to protect us from free radicals, the body makes its own defenses: antioxidants. But we know that when we are stressed, an excess of free radicals is produced and, so that this does not translate into premature aging, we can partially neutralize them by adding extra antioxidants to the diet.

We are a mixture of genetics and environment, although in a difficult proportion to pin down. But what is clear is that, through food, we can positively influence the person we are.

Thus, so that stress does not end up aging us at a faster rate than desired, we must direct nutritional therapy towards each cell of our body, paying special attention to those of the brain, as it is one of the organs that most suffers from stress. In our life. In this way, we will feel the passage of time as a privilege to enjoy and not as a burden to carry.

How to add more antioxidants to the diet

Taking care of yourself is, at every stage of life, learning to recognize the needs of the body and listen to those of the soul. Replacing certain essential nutrients in our body that diminish over the years will allow us to continue on our way and perhaps, without our being aware of it, it may lead us to fulfill some of our dreams, only mixed with those of those we love.

• Eat berries once a day. In addition to their antioxidant capacity, they facilitate the penetration of other nutrients into the cells. A good option is to add them to yogurt. But if we are out of season and it is difficult to find them, there are other possibilities.
• Enrich the salad with various ingredients, so that it has at least three colors. Thus we ensure a wider range of vitamins.
• Take a seasonal fruit every day. They are an indisputable source of vitamin C, one of the most powerful antioxidants against free radicals.

• Dress salads with extra virgin olive oil. Without a fatty medium, some of the vitamins that play an important role in preventing premature aging are not absorbed, such as lycopene from tomatoes (to prevent prostate cancer) or carotenes from carrots (to protect the skin) .
• Eating oily fish twice a week provides omega 3, essential fat to protect neurons against stress.
• 10 to 20 grams per day of chocolate containing a minimum of 70% cocoa; cares for the cardiovascular system.
• A glass of red wine at every meal. The varieties that come from places where the climate is extreme tend to have more antioxidants. In case of not drinking wine, the grape is an excellent option.
• Eating an apple helps to counteract the deposit of cholesterol in the arteries after a gastronomic excess.
• A handful of nuts daily. We can mix them with the berries in the yogurt.
• And let’s not forget that reading provides the most important nutrients to feed our soul.