Walnuts & pecans have been rated among the top 10 of fruits & nuts with the most antioxidants.
So what are antioxidants: To understand what antioxidants are, one needs to know what oxidative stress is. Oxidative stress is a process that can cause damage to cells in our body when is loses electrons. As we get older, our bodies lose some of natural defenses, which can result in a higher likelihood of chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, brain dysfunctions, Alzheimer’s disease, loss of immunities to illness, cataracts, and macular degeneration, to name a few . In addition, uncontrolled oxygen, also called free radicals, can wrinkle our skin, lock up our joints, harden our blood vessels, let cancer grow and age us prematurely.
Antioxidant means ‘against oxidation’ and fights the oxidation process. Flavonoids are a group of antioxidant compounds found primarily in plants. Research has shown that the flavonoids found in almond skins team up with the vitamin E found in their meat to more than double the antioxidant punch either delivers when administered separately, shows a study published in the Journal of Nutrition.
“Twenty potent antioxidant flavonoids were identified in almond skins in this study, some of which are well known as major contributors to the health benefits derived from other foods, such as the catechins found in green tea, and naringenin, which is found in grapefruit. We have identified a unique combination of flavonoids in almonds,” said Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., senior scientist and director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University. “Further blood tests demonstrated that eating almonds with their skins significantly increases both flavonoids and vitamin E in the body. This could have significant health implications, especially as people age.”