As I learn more about nutrigenomics I can’t help but bring these healthy foods into my kitchen and experiment with them to make nutrient packed meals such as this red beetroot and quinoa antioxidant salad. Beetroot contains anthocyanin which is a strong antioxidant and can help reduce oxidative stress in the body.
What is oxidative stress? Oxidative stress is the gradual wear and tear that happens over time due to cumulative exposure to time, ‘life’ and something in the body called reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are naturally occurring particles and have a tendency to destroy or damage cells in the body. The production of ROS is strongly influenced by the environment and things like toxins in pollution, car exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke or pesticides. But we also make ROS ourselves as a byproduct of natural daily processes such as respiration, inflammation and exercise.
So how do we manage oxidation in the body? Antioxidants are molecules with the ability to neutralise ROS molecules. If we don’t have enough antioxidants to counter oxidation, a cellular imbalance known as oxidative stress occurs. Oxidative stress can lead to many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, inflammatory conditions, neurodegenerative disorders (such as parkinson and Alzheimer’s disease), and age related disorders.
Where do we get antioxidants from? We naturally have antioxidants in the body which are the most powerful antioxidants. But our antioxidant abilities are to some extent determined by our genes which encode for their production and their potency. Certain people may then need additional nutrition. It is important to get your antioxidants naturally from food sources rather than from supplements.
Other antioxidants are vitamin A, C and E, zinc, selenium, manganese and copper. Foods that contain antioxidants include artichokes, beetroot, blackberries, coriander, cranberries, dark chocolate, elderberries, gogiberries, green tea, kidney beans, pecans, rocket and spinach. Feel free to include any of these foods with the recipe below. Chopped rocket or spinach sprinkled over this salad would be amazing!
- Boiled beetroot – 2 cups chopped into quarters
- Red Quinoa – 1 cup cooked
- Pomegranate – seeds and juice from 1 pomegranate
- Red onion – half a red onion, chopped finely
- Apple cider vinegar – 3 Tablespoons
- Olive oil – 3 Tablespoons
- Goats cheese – to sprinkle over salad
- Wild rocket
- Salt & Pepper to season
- Mix the beetroot, quinoa, pomegranate seeds (keep pomegranate juice aside) and red onion in a salad bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- For the dressing, mix the apple cider vinegar, the olive oil and the pomegranate juice together and poor over the salad. be sure to mix in well.
- Sprinkle the top of the salad with goats cheese, top with wild rocket and serve.