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Getting your daily dose? Vitamins and minerals

By Sarah Clark

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How can vitamins and minerals enhance our health?

It's rare these days for anyone to actually be vitamin deficient to the point of illness, so when we look at the power of vitamins and minerals, we're really looking at how we can improve our overall wellbeing, rather than avoid scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) or rickets (deficiency in vitamin D.)

One very powerful group of vitamins and minerals is antioxidants (Vitamin A, C, E, Beta carotene, selenium, zinc, manganese and copper). These are used by the body to break down harmful substances called free radicals, which we produce more of when we are feeling under the weather, stressed or if we smoke/breathe polluted air. Everyone has a certain amount of these free radicals in their body, and they are usually kept in check by a healthy immune system. Too many of them can lead to cell damage over time. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants could help to defend your body against too many free radicals.

Super Foods

You might have heard about super foods – and associate them with exotic sounding delicacies like goji berries, or perhaps just expensive, if delicious, blueberries. But most super foods are actually just everyday foods that contain high levels of antioxidants. Apples, for example, are considered a super food because they contain vitamin C and are also high in pectin, a soluble fibre that can help to lower blood cholesterol.

The humble baked bean is another surprising super food, rich in the antioxidant lycopene which is said to help protect against heart disease and cancer. Other good sources of antioxidants that can be picked up with your daily shopping include:

• Broccoli: contains vitamin C, folic acid and lutein – and has been shown to help slow down age-related macular degeneration, a condition that can affect our eyesight as we age.
• Tea: It doesn't matter if you like your cuppa to be black or green, you can still benefit from your daily brew. Tea contains antioxidants called catechins which are said to help protect against heart disease.

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