I thought this article was extremely helpful. I found it here. Let me know what you think. Is it helpful to you at all? (I have added a few comments in red.)
Getting the recommended 4 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables daily will go a long way toward your quota of antioxidants and other nutrients. You don’t have to munch carrots and raw broccoli from dawn to dusk, but you do need to start thinking about fruits and veggies long before dinner. Four and a half cups – equal to nine servings – may sound like a lot, but don’t throw in the dishtowel yet. Here are 40 easy ways to boost your antioxidant intake.
Start Early
1. A small glass of 100% fruit juice is the perfect energizing start to your day. Vary your juices to balance your nutrient intake. Try the usual orange and grapefruit juice and the not-so-usual pomegranate and blueberry. I have been doing this. I mix pomegranate juice (2 oz.) grape juice.
2. Top eggs with your favorite store-bought salsa. I love to top my fried eggs with sauteed onions! My Dad will be SO surprised!
3. Add sautéed mushrooms, onions, red and yellow bell peppers, or tomatoes to omelets.
4. Slice peaches, bananas, strawberries, or other fresh fruit onto your cereal. Bananas on Grape Nuts! Yummy!
5. Mix dried cranberries or raisins into your oatmeal.
6. Toss frozen fruit, low-fat yogurt and nutmeg or sweetener in a blender for a quick out-the-door breakfast smoothie. Smoothies are great with yogurt, a banana, and any other fruit to throw in. My girls always want me to add some peanut butter though! I also add powdered flax seed and olive oil. So good for you and a small amount will never be noticed.
Punch Up Your Cooking
7. Thread some pineapple, nectarines, bell peppers, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes in with your chicken or steak kabobs.
8. Add canned or frozen vegetables to soups.
9. Build your own veggie pizza. Top a plain cheese pie with spinach, fresh herbs like basil and tarragon, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, or small pineapple cubes.
10. Use spaghetti squash in place of pasta.
11. Add zucchini, green beans or eggplant to your favorite jarred spaghetti sauce.
12. Pack pasta and potato salads with extra veggies. Be colorful and toss in broccoli, red bell peppers, carrots, and purple onion.
13. Perk up a dull green salad with nuts, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, pomegranate seeds, apple slices, red beans, or jarred artichokes. I have recently tried the cranberries and that was great! Thanks for the idea Beverly! Raisins are good too...and some sunflower seeds.
14. One to two days a week, wash, chop and separate raw veggies into plastic bags. You’ll have carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, celery, zucchini, and more antioxidant-packed foods readily available to toss into salads or add to casseroles.
15. Sneak in some extra beans. For example, thicken traditional chili or a favorite soup with a can of mashed white beans. No one will know they’re there. This could work. My bean hating daughters might never know.
16. Top nachos with kidney beans.
17. Mix apples, grapes and walnuts in your chicken salad. Try white beans and diced carrots in tuna salad.
18. Add fresh herbs to salads. When using them in hot food, add them toward the end of cooking.
19. Learn to cook with the most antioxidant-rich herbs and spices: ground clove, dried oregano, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, turmeric powder, dried basil, ground mustard seed, curry powder, paprika, and chili powder.
Snacks
20. Put individual servings of grapes, cherries or raw veggies into small plastic bags. Keep them at eye level in the refrigerator, not tucked behind the leftover takeout. Grabbing a high-fiber, antioxidant-packed snack should be as easy as grabbing a bag of chips. I am hoping Sun Chips count as something good too.
21. Mix berries and nuts into nonfat yogurt.
22. Keep an old breath mint tin filled with nuts. Pull it out when you’re stuck in traffic and in need of an energy boost. This is a great idea! I always hate throwing out those tins so this could work.
23. Add a variety of dried fruit to trail mix. Making your own granola is easy and good too. Then you can add all the things you want. It makes a wonderful breakfast cereal. My girls LOVE it!
Out and About
24. In restaurants, start your meal with a vegetable or bean soup or a colorful mixed salad. I have been working on this one and doing pretty well. I like salads so it is not a problem for me.
25. Swap French fries for a side salad or steamed vegetables. Now this one is a bit harder! I do love fries!
26. Ask for extra veggies on sandwiches.
27. Bring five pieces of fruit to work every Monday for a different snack each day of the week.
28. If you’re unexpectedly out at lunchtime, run by the grocery store instead of the drive-through. Pick up a prepared salad and piece of fruit. I know this is probably a good idea. However, when I see those salads at the store they always look SO pitiful and not really nutritious with all that ice berg lettuce.
Sip Your Antioxidants
29. Drink brewed black or green tea. Tea is our best source of a class of compounds called catechins, which are potent antioxidants. Green tea contains three times the catechins as black tea. Brew it up at home; bottled tea doesn’t offer the same health benefits. I saw what looks like a good recipe for making Green Tea Soda, just today. You can see it here.
30. Sip on vegetable juice, plain or with some hot sauce for extra kick.
31. Spice up your hot tea with antioxidant-rich ground cloves and cinnamon.
32. Enjoy a glass of red wine. Moderate drinking is linked with reduced rates of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Some scientists credit the antioxidant resveratrol for these positive effects. Moderate drinking is defined as no more than one drink per day for women, two per day for men.
33. Have a mug of brewed coffee as your early morning or midday energizer. Be careful what you put in it, though. Those lattes and mochas can turn coffee into a sugar and fat fest. Bummer, that is the way I like my coffee....basically, when you can't even tell it is coffee any more.
34. Opt for one of these antioxidant-rich juices: grape, pomegranate, cranberry, pineapple, and orange. Or mix and match them for your own unique blend.
Sweet Treats
35. Skewer some fresh berries, grapes and peach slices for a fun dessert.
36. Top ice cream with berries or pomegranate seeds.
37. Freeze fresh grapes for a delicious, all-natural frozen dessert. My girls really like this one.
38. For a sophisticated dessert that does antioxidant double duty, dip strawberries, pineapple cubes, and sliced apples and bananas into a dark chocolate fondue. Oh my! Yummy!
39. Make ice-pops from any 100% fruit juice. We have done this in the past. The girls really liked it and I felt much better about giving it to them.
40. Indulge in small amounts of dark chocolate or cocoa without guilt. Like tea, chocolate and cocoa contain catechins. Research suggests that they may help prevent the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, thus improving your risk for cardiovascular disease. Chocolate! Yippee!!!
I thought this was a great article. What do you think? Do you have any more tips?
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