Antioxidants: Vitamins
By Kristine Clark, Ph.D., R.D.
Matol's Health & Nutrition Board

What is a good way for me to tell whether or not my diet is providing all the vitamins I need?
You asked the million dollar questions. How can we really tell if we're getting all the right vitamins? Let me begin by saying that the first rule of thumb is paying attention to what foods you select to eat each day. To size up your diet for vitamins, keep track of the food groups you eat from and the amount of servings from each food group. For example, Vitamin C, a potent antioxidant vitamin is found in many fruits and vegetables, with special emphasis on the citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes). Vitamin A is also rich in orange and dark green vegetables and orange fruits. The B complex vitamins are primarily found in the grain or starch carbohydrate family. Vitamin D is found in most milk products but is made in the skin with exposure to the sun. Lastly, Vitamin E, another potent antioxidant vitamin, is found in vegetable oils, wheat germ, seeds and nuts.

Ask yourself if you're eating these types of foods daily. If your diet is sporadic with these foods, chances are you could do better. But time is a premium and there are only so many hours in a day. A fortified food - in other words, foods that contain extra special amounts of certain nutrients or vitamin supplement are other ways to meet your vitamin needs.

Antioxidant vitamins are constantly mentioned in the press. I get the feeling that vitamins are newsworthy without really understanding why, all of a sudden, they have become so important. What's the scoop?
Antioxidant vitamins are Vitamin E, C, and Beta-Carotene. There is nothing new about what these vitamins do as individual nutrients. But in the last 10 years, more information has linked nutrition to disease prevention and these vitamins have been shown to have one common function: preventing the breakdown of cell membranes. Let me explain in a step-by-step approach:

1. Every cell in the body has a protective layer around it called the cell membrane. The cell membrane is primarily made up of different types of fats.
2. Exposure to pollutants in the air, second hand smoke, or any type of stressful situation causes the human body to produce chemicals called "free radicals". All people produce these to lesser or greater degrees, depending upon their environment and lifestyle.
3. People who exercise produce more free radical than non-exercisers (this is not meant to give you an excuse to not exercise).
4. Free radicals have the ability to attack any cell's fatty cell membrane and "oxidize" it. This oxidation process actually injures the cell membrane, making the cell more vulnerable to cell changes.
5. The more cells change due to free radical damage the chances for the development of diseases. The diseases most associated with free radical damage are certain type of cancers, heart disease, cataracts, muscle tissue damage, and premature aging (hopefully not classified as a disease!).
6. Oxidation by free radical chemicals is bad news.
7. Antioxidants are substances that kill the oxidation ability of free radicals. Researchers use the term "squelch" of sequester" or render harmless" to apply to the antioxidant's powerful ability to kill free radicals.
8. The human body makes some antioxidant enzymes, but antioxidant vitamins complement the overall picture.

I'm not good at taking pills, so can I get all my antioxidant vitamins from food?
In a perfect "nutritional" world, yes. But no matter how well intended we are, it seems as if eating perfectly is difficult for most of us... at least on a day-to-day basis.

Getting antioxidants from food is very possible. Chances are you get Vitamin C from the fruits and vegetables you eat each day. Beta-carotene comes from orange, dark green and yellow vegetable and some fruits. The main foods identified with Vitamin E include wheat germ, vegetable oils (corn, sunflower seed, safflower seed), nuts and seeds. Many people concerned about getting to much fat in their diets avoid oils, salad dressings and margarines. Even foods like peanut butter and nuts may be reduced in the diet of calorie counters. Wheat germ and seeds are good vitamin sources but are foods not typically found in out cupboards. Therefore, an antioxidant supplement that includes vitamin E may be a wise choice.

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