Ancestral Foods for Antioxidant Health

Grass-Fed & Wild-Game Meats

Today, the overwhelming majority of red meat consumed by the general public is grain-fed and mass-produced, whereas we’ve evolved over the last 200,000 years around meat from animals that ate natural grass. The implication on the nutrient-density and antioxidant levels of ancestral meats is profound. Grass-fed beef contains significantly greater amounts of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) that protects lipids from peroxidation and acts as a precursor to vitamins A, E and glutathione - all robust antioxidants in the body.^9,10 Boost your antioxidant intake by adding more grass-fed beef to your nutritional arsenal, as well as wild game meats like bison, venison, elk, and boar.

Dark Chocolate (70% or More)

Pound for pound, cacao found in dark chocolate is almost as potent as blueberries when it comes to antioxidant power.¹¹ Its ORAC score is impressively at the top of the list and it also may be beneficial for blood pressure, protecting against LDL cholesterol oxidation, and reducing risk of cardiovascular disease.^12,13 Granted dark chocolate isn’t a Paleo food, but that’s why we say 85 percent and as far as cheat foods go, it has its positives.

Should I Supplement with Antioxidants?

Exercise promotes the build-up of free radicals much like the exhaust from your car when you drive. The old way of thinking was to try and quench these free radicals via supplementation to enhance training adaptations. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. Studies reviewing the use of antioxidant supplements after exercise showed that they actually blunted the positive effects on training adaptations. It turned out that reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated several key post-exercise physiological processes and antioxidants interfered with those processes¹⁴.

That’s right, too many antioxidants suppress the build-up of free radicals which are actually essential for triggering the positive muscular adaptations from training.

The good news is, if you follow an ancestral approach to eating you don’t have to worry about the antioxidants in your food. The blunting effect on your training gains only occurs from supplementation (the supra-physiological doses are higher than you could eat from food.)

Bring the focus back to your diet to boost your health and antioxidant intake. A Paleo diet is a great foundation for removing free radical causing foods like sugars and processed omega-6 vegetable oils, as well as providing a plentiful buffet of high antioxidant foods to fuel your health and performance.

References

[1] Jaiswal, N., et al. (2015). Fructose-induced ROS generation impairs glucose utilization in L6 skeletal muscle cells. Free Radical Research, 49(9). Retrieved from //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25968943

[2] Jenkinson, AM, et al. (Dec 1999). The effect of increased intakes of polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E on DNA damage in human lymphocytes. FASEB Journal, 13(15). Retrieved from //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10593860

[3] Hossein J., Ali A. A Review on Natural Antioxidants in Fish: Stabilizing Effect on Sensitive Nutrients Middle-East J. Sci. Res., 7 (2): 170-174, 2011.

[4] Prior R et al. Analysis of botanicals and dietary supplements for antioxidant capacity: a review. J AOAC Int. 2000 Jul-Aug;83(4):950-6.

[5] Rodriguez-Mateos A. Procyanidin, anthocyanin, and chlorogenic acid contents of highbush and lowbush blueberries. J Agric Food Chem. 2012 Jun 13;60(23):5772-8.

[6] Delcourt C et al. Plasma Lutein and Zeaxanthin and Other Carotenoids as Modifiable Risk Factors for Age-Related Maculopathy and Cataract: The POLA Study. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2006, Vol.47, 2329-2335.

[7] Basu A et al. Dietary Factors That Promote or Retard Inflammation. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2006; 26: 995-1001

[8] Bermudez, B et al. Clustering effects of postprandial insulin secretion and sensitivity in response to meals with different fatty acid compositions. Food Funct., 2014,5, 1374-1380.

[9] Palacios A et al. Antioxidant effect of conjugated linoleic acid and vitamin A during non enzymatic lipid peroxidation of rat liver microsomes and mitochondria. Mol Cell Biochem. 2003 Aug;250(1-2):107-13.
[10] Daley, C. A., Abbott, A., Doyle, P. S., Nader, G. A., & Larson, S. (2010). A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef.Nutrition Journal Nutr J,9(1), 10.

[11] Crozier J et al. Cacao seeds are a "Super Fruit": A comparative analysis of various fruit powders and products. Chemistry Central Journal20115:5.

[12] Buijsse B et al. Cocoa intake, blood pressure, and cardiovascular mortality: the Zutphen Elderly Study. Arch Intern Med. 2006 Feb 27;166(4):411-7.

[13] Wan Y et al. Effects of cocoa powder and dark chocolate on LDL oxidative susceptibility and prostaglandin concentrations in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Nov;74(5):596-602.

[14] Peternelj T, Coombes J. Antioxidant supplementation during exercise training: beneficial or detrimental? Sports Med. 2011 Dec 1;41(12):1043-69.