Yep, all of the above. I love them all. They are an injection of happiness. My body actually smiles when I have them. Same with zucchini, oddly. And brazil nuts.
It’s funny-but-totally-get-able: because all three are great sources of antioxidants, I have a very healthy attitude to all three. I don’t binge on them. I don’t obsess about them. I just really, really enjoy them, consuming them when my body feels like them. It’s amazing when you back the fork off something, you can feel clearly what is best for you, hey!?
Antioxidants basically stave off the oxidization process in the body (which damages cells and wreaks cancerous, aging and inflammatory havoc). Bloody welcome relief for anyone with autoimmune disease – we can actually benefit somewhat from consuming antioxidant foods.
Just some random factoids I came across this week:
Chocolate:
Chocolate is good for you…until you eat it every day: the evidence continues to grow that the stuff is good for you—but only, natch, in moderation – 1-2 times a week. Here’s the thing…the same studies found daily doses have a negative effect on the anti-inflammatory processes in your body.
Green tea:
* Green tea really is greener: it’s carbon footprint is much less than a cup of normal tea or coffee. FYI, while we’re on the topic… when boiling water for tea, bear this in mind – if you boil more than you need (as most people do), you could easily add 20g to the carbon footprint of each drink. Also, How you boil the water makes a difference too. The least expensive and most carbon-efficient way to do it is to use an old-fashioned stove-top kettle on an appropriately sized gas hob. This is greener because inefficiencies in our power stations and distribution systems make electricity a relatively wasteful and high-carbon way of producing heat.
Red Wine
* If you eat red meat, drink red wine . Neither are great for you if you’re inflammed. But a girl’s gotta live. Like really live. Mercifully you can sin all at once and do a little less damage. Protein softens the wine’s tannins, and red wine also helps counteract potentially harmful substances — oxidized fats called malonaldehydes, or MDA — released when meat’s digested.
