Eczema Treatment: Part 3 of Healing Your Eczema From Within...

Let me start by saying I am sorry, I know it's late, had a few things tie me up this week, no excuse I know but that is enough apologising, let's get into it.

This is the third email in a quick little series that we are sending out on healing your eczema from within.

Have you read the first two emails yet?

Part One - "The Miracle Eczema Cure?" If not, you can see it at www.xma.com.au/miracle-eczema-cure.

Part Two - "Antioxidants and Eczema" - see it here www.xma.com.au/antioxidants-and-eczema.

Thanks to everyone for the great feedback, keep it coming to rick@xma.com.au.

So, where do you actually get these antioxidants from?

A USDA Study tested over 100 foods for their antioxidant levels and ranked the top 10. These are:

Small red bean (dried), 1/2 cup
Wild blueberry, 1 cup
Red kidney bean (dried), 1/2 cup
Pinto bean, 1/2 cup
Blueberry (cultivated), 1 cup
Cranberry, 1 cup (whole)
Artichoke (cooked hearts), 1 cup
Blackberry, 1 cup
Prune, 1/2 cup
Raspberry, 1 cup

Usually you can judge how much antioxidants a particular fruit or vegetable has by its color. Brighter the color, more useful vitamins you will get from eating it. Berries are the leaders when it comes to antioxidants - blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry and blueberry are all high in flavonoids. Flavonoids successfully neutralize the damage free radicals can do to your health including effect of peroxyl radicals, superoxide radicals, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radicals, and singlet oxygen.

Healthy food doesn't have to be dull; you can make delicious deserts from berries. Adding sugar doesn't decrease berries antioxidant properties. However, adding milk, cream or any other milk product does. Apparently milk minimizes the effect of natural antioxidants. So keep this in mind when preparing berry deserts.

Oranges, grapefruits and other citruses are another popular source of antioxidant vitamins. If you prefer drinking fruit juice rather than eating oranges, chose freshly squeezed juices.

Other natural antioxidant sources

Not all antioxidants are in fruits and vegetables. Green tea is a great source of flavonoids. So if you are a tea lover, chose green varieties.

Another unusual source of antioxidants is coffee. Not only it helps you to wake up on a cold, slow morning, but it provides your body with antioxidants. According to a study by researchers at the University of Scranton, coffee is a leading source of antioxidants for Americans. Decaf coffee just as good antioxidant source as ordinary coffee, but you should remember - no milk.

Dark chocolate also contain antioxidants. So as you can see, sometimes foods we all love anyway, can bring great benefits to your health.

Easy ways to include antioxidants in your diet

Teach yourself to eat fruits as snacks, instead of common junk snacks. Dry fruits are good natural source of antioxidants, dates and prunes being the leaders. But of course, if you are watching your weight you have to be careful, because all dry fruits are high on sugar as well.

Garnishes like parsley, coriander and dill are excellent antioxidant sources. Add them to your meals. Most spices are also high in antioxidants, so not only they give your food rich flavor, but they also supply vitamins.

Stir fry is a preferred method of cooking, to preserve antioxidants in vegetables. Most vitamins are easily destroyed by heat, so less you cook your dish; the better it is for you.

That should do it for today.

In the next lesson on Tuesday (I promise!), I will talk about why the "mediterranean diet" is so good for you and your skin and how you can get it without stuffing yourself silly with pasta and cheese!

Have a great weekend!

Until Next time!