Here’s some good news! Munching on those crunchy crackers, cereal and nuts — or even popcorn — may actually give you the nutrition you need through antioxidants. What really is an anti-oxidant? It is basically a vitamin, mineral or nutrient that protects and repairs cells in your body to which damage is caused by free radicals. Free radicals, what? A free radical can occur for many reasons like exposure to pollution, tobacco smoke, chemicals or an unhealthy diet. To give you an idea, here are a few foods that contain anti-oxidants:
- Dairy produce
- Eggs
- Fruits — Berries, Oranges, Watermelon, Apples, Mangoes, Pomegranates
- Vegetables — Bell Peppers, carrots, peas, spinach
- Nuts & Seeds
- Dark chocolate
- Green & Black teas
For optimal health and nutrition, there are various ways to increase your antioxidant intake on a daily basis:
- Include a fruit or vegetable in each meal or snack
- Have a cup of green tea once per day
- The more colourful your plate, the more antioxidants you will have
- Snack on nuts & seeds — For e.g., pumpkin & sunflower seeds, almonds
- Dried Fruits — cashews, raisins, apricots
Bored of the usual food on a daily basis? There are various ways to mix and match your nutrition to your taste buds. Innovation is key in every field of life — even the food you eat! How to make your snack ideas rich in antioxidants:
Energy Bars
Rich in the nutrients they offer, energy bars and the perfect grab & go snack for your daily commute or work-at-home mid-meal snack. However, special care must be taken while selecting the correct energy bar for your needs. With the good ingredient combination, Gouri’s Goodies Energy Bars are the perfect type of energy bars to stock up at your homes — with ingredients that are easy to understand.
Take your pick from Oats and Almond Energy Bar, Dates & Chia Energy Bar, Palm Jaggery & Honey Energy Bar, Belgian Dark Chocolate Energy Bar, Belgian Dark Chocolate & Orange Energy Bar and the Belgian Milk Chocolate Energy Bar. A range of flavours to treat yourself with!
Cereal
Cereal should not be underestimated as a children’s breakfast. It can be breakfast, an afternoon snack or an early dinner. Whole-grain foods contain antioxidants and fibre in them. Grab a cup-full of your favourite cereal mix and 2 cups of your choice of milk (almond, soy or normal) for a tasty snack. Add some honey to the mix of berries of your choice to give it the natural sweetness!
For example, you can use Gouri’s Goodies Rice Power Cereal to make a tasty salad for a snack-time fill or lunch. A brief recipe below:
You need some lettuce (or any choice of your favourite greens), zucchini, spring onions, white onions, broccoli, baby corn, cherry tomatoes, garlic — portions as per your choice.
Method: Warm some oil in a pan/wok, add the spring onions and garlic. Enjoy the smell of the garlic cooking for a minute and add the remaining vegetables and cook them lightly — do not lose the crunch in them.
Dressing: Mustard, fresh black pepper, more garlic (grated), olive oil, green chillies, lemon juice & salt. All these must be added into a jar and shaken — quantities as per your taste buds!
Assemble: Add the rice power cereal (a handful), lettuce, vegetables, dressing + raw onions, cherry tomatoes (halved) and some more black pepper! A light summery lunch right on your hands in minutes!
Gouri’s Goodies Cereal Mixes are carefully created keeping in mind the requirement of antioxidants in your daily meals. Apart from the whole grain ingredient, you will also find a mixture of flax seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins and palm jaggery. Take your pick from our Mighty Oats Cereal Mix, Ragi Rhythm Cereal Mix, Rice Power Cereal Mix, Magic Millet and Apricot Cereal Mix and Happy Millet and Apricot Mix — depending on your choice of base grain!
Berry Smoothie
A berry smoothie is a perfect kickstart to your day or pick-me-up for your afternoon sleepiness. Make one and carry to work or keep in the refrigerator (if you are working from home, like the rest of us in today’s times!). A simple berry smoothie contains a mixture of your favourite berries (these could be blueberries, raspberries, strawberries — all very rich in antioxidants) mixed with the milk of your choice (almond, soy, coconut, skim) along with 2 spoons of Greek yoghurt and honey.
A brilliant topping will be a few crushed Gouri’s Goodies Mini bites of your choice — choose from Dates & Chia Mini Bites, Oats and Almond Mini Bites, Palm Jaggery & Honey Mini Bites, Belgian Dark Chocolate Mini Bites and Belgian Dark Chocolate Orange Mini Bites. This gives you the ultimate crunch to your delicious smoothie! A great fill of nutrients and antioxidants for your daily dose of freshness!
On a closing note, we must know that too much of anything is rarely a good thing. No supplement acts as a silver bullet to health and wellbeing — we must go step by step with natural elements instead of turning towards supplements and boosters. I recommend sizing your foods accordingly to your appetite and body ratios — experiment with portions and ingredients to know what works best for you! ‘Antioxidants are really like little bodyguards inside your body that protect your cells from catching a disease’ — says Cynthia Sass — and I couldn’t agree more!
Written By Gouri Gupta
Week 18, April ’20
