Lookin’ for lycopene? Do you even know what it is? If not, lycopene is what gives certain fruits and vegetables their vibrant red color. However, it does more than make your food look pretty. Lycopene acts as an antioxidant in your body, which means it protects your cells against damage from free radicals.

What all this means in everyday language is that lycopene has been connected with the reduced risk for certain diseases, including cancer and heart disease, and may even help stave off age-related macular degeneration.

While more research definitely needs to be done on the health benefits of lycopene, in the meantime you can’t go wrong with the food sources that provide the highest doses:
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According to WebMD, approximately 35 million Americans have problems with seasonal allergies associated with pollen, grass, flowers, and other plants.

Seasonal allergies can be a life-changing experience, making us cough and sneeze to the point of even avoiding social situations. While there are certainly prescription and over-the-counter medical remedies that you can seek out, there are actually natural ways you can go about easing symptoms through your diet.

Whether it’s mold, pollen, ragweed, or what have you, it’s possible to find seasonal allergy relief (red skin, itchy eyes, and those embarrassing sneezes) from what you eat and other natural remedies.

“Using nature-based products can be a very useful way to handle mild allergies and a useful adjunct for more significant allergies, and there are many types of treatments you can safely try,” says Mary Hardy, MD, director of integrative medicine at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Here’s where you can begin:

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Honey has been used to treat different ailments for thousands of years, but recently raw honey has been getting a lot of attention. It’s being touted for its nutritional benefits, its antibacterial properties and its ability to treat allergies. But are these claims too good to be true?

Raw honey, which is unprocessed and is as close to its natural state in the hive as possible, is a source of polyphenol, a rich antioxidant that may reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. According to WebMD, a small study showed that people who ate four tablespoons had higher levels of antioxidants in their blood.

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Wow, we’ve all heard that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but new research may make that claim seem quaint in comparison. If the findings in a new animal study proves to be true for humans as well, an antioxidant found in apples could extend your life by as much as 10 percent.

The current findings involved fruit flies – don’t laugh, they are used in hundreds of studies every year – and they help bolster similar findings when used with other test animals.

The fight to extend our life starts with the “bad guys” known as free radicals, which cause negative changes in our body related to the aging process and some diseases. The good news is that antioxidants help combat the effects of free radicals. Fruits and vegetables, particularly colorful foods like apples, tomatoes, broccoli, and blueberries are superb sources of antioxidants.
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Tune in to Dr. Oz Wednesday, March 9 for Ultimate Checklist: Antioxidants. This nutrient is present in many green leafy vegetables, but many people underestimate its importance in their daily diets. Antioxidants can help you body fight disease, cancer and even help you look younger.

How do antioxidants keep us from getting sick? By fighting unstable molecules, known as free radicals, that can cause cell damage. Find out why you should add broccoli, kale and Brussel sprouts to your shopping list, plus learn about a great drink that’s also chock-full of antioxidants.

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