Sources of Natural Antioxidants

Beta Carotene (Vitamin A)

In this form, it is a fat-soluble vitamin.

This means that you should eat some form of fat with it to enable your body to utilize it to the fullest.

Foods that are rich in carotenes include:

* Sweet potatoes * kale * carrots * spinach * cantaloupe melon * turnip greens * winter squash * collard greens * mango * cilantro * fresh thyme * Romaine lettuce

Beta Carotene is the safest way to take Vitamin A.

When you take supplements containing synthetic Vitamin A, you risk Vitamin A toxicity, since large doses of the synthetic are very toxic.

Not so with Beta-carotene. The most you might see is some yellowing of the skin if you eat too much.

More information is available on the Natural Vitamins page.

Natural Vitamin C

For example, it helps to regenerate
oxidized vitamin E so the E can help protect cell walls from other oxidative damage.

The amount of Vitamin C in a fruit varies.

In most fruits, the content is greatest when the fruit is just slightly immature and decreased as it gets to full ripeness. Two exceptions to this are kiwi and jujube fruit.

Prolonged cold storage of fruit also tends to reduce the Vitamin C content.

The following is a list of some of the more common fruits available to you.

EXCEPTIONAL **Acerola ** Babados Cherry, Guava-Tropical, Jujube, Kiwifruit-green, Kiwifruit-yellow,

EXCELLENT Black currents, Grapefruit, Kei Apple, Mango, Orange, Papaya, Persimmon, ***Rosehips***

VERY GOOD honeydew melon, cantaloupe melon, raspberries, strawberries, tangerine-mandarin, Tomato, watermelon

GOOD Pineapple, red currents, banana

You will notice that acerola and rosehips are included, but not really readily available for consumption. I have done this because I felt that they are key to the effectiveness of Vitamin C for certain conditions. This is solely based on personal experience.

I'm asthmatic and I used to be able to control my asthma by taking 800mg of natural Vitamin C with rosehips, acerola and bioflavenoids and then reduce it gradually to 200mg once the asthma was under control. I suggested this to a friend who had very bad asthma, and he got ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) tablets, and then informed me that he didn't get any relief from them.

Natural vitamin C is ascorbate and the inclusionof the rosehips, acerola and bioflavenoids was the key, not synthetic Vitamin C.

Many vegetables contain the natural antioxidants of Vitamin C, also.

Some of the better sources include:

Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, tomatoes, spinach, kale, green peppers, cabbage and turnips.

More information is available on the Natural Vitamins page.

Vitamin E

The highest source of Vitamin E is wheat germ. One tablespoon of wheat germ oil gives you
100% of the recommended daily requirement.

Other sources include:
Liver,
Eggs,
Nuts,
Sunflower seeds,
Cold-pressed vegetable oils,
Dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale,
Beet, collard, mustard and turnip greens,
Sweet potatoes and yams,
Avacodo,
and Asparagus

If using a supplement, natural vitamin E is called d-alpha-tocopheral
or it also comes as natural mixed tocopherols.

Synthetic Vitamin E is dl-alpha-tocopherol and is about half as effective as the natural form.

More information is available on the Natural Vitamins page.

Selenium

Your best sources of Selenium are seafood and
organ meats. You can also get it from many grains and vegetables but the amount varies with where these were grown.

Mangosteen

The Mangosteen fruit with over 40 powerful antioxidants, has been used in southeast Asia for over 400 years.

A small purple fruit about the size of a tangerine, has traditionally been used to treat inflammation, dysentery, and skin disorders. When a person had an infection, the rind, also know as the pericarp, was boiled up to make a tea to treat the infection.

The pericarp is known to have over 40 super-charged, natural antioxidants, also called xanthones.

An increasing number of scientific studies going on now are starting to confirm what they have known for centuries in Southeast Asia.

Mangosteen Research

There are many foods that are high in natural antioxidants, although none can compare to what is found in the mangosteen fruit. These foods should be considered as a significant part of your healthy diet.

I'll group them as best as I can with the highest valued ones being listed first in each category.

Beans: small red beans, red kidney beans, pinto beans, and black beans,

Berries: wild blueberries, cultivated blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries

Artichokes

Other fruits: prunes, red delicious and granny smith apples, sweet cherries, black plums, plums, and gala apples

Nuts pecans and walnuts

Russett Potatoes