SC Diet Tip: Love Foods High in Antioxidants
One of the readers on the SCW Facebook page recently got me thinking about foods rich in anti-oxidants and how they can help with sickle cell. In a normal body, there are free radicals (excess oxygen ions from the energy process), that are not naturally excreted from the body. These free radicals wreck havoc on the cells in the body, causing them to die quicker, break down, or massively replicate (which leads to cancer). Since sickle cells already have short half lives (10-12 days) than normal red blood cells (90-120 days), having anti-oxidants on board will help to extend the life of your sickle cells, thereby cutting down on anemia and extending the life of your spleen. It’s all connected.
Here is a list from the USDA of the top 20 foods high in anti-oxidants. I’m sure you already eat a couple of these, but adding a few more into your diet will do some more good.
- small red beans
- wild blueberries
- red kidney beans
- pinto beans
- cultivated blueberries
- cranberries
- artichokes
- blackberries
- prunes
- raspberries
- strawberries
- red delicious apples
- Granny Smith apples
- pecans
- sweet cherries
- black plums
- russet potatoes
- black beans
- plums
- gala apples
