She recommends eating five portions of fruits and vegetables a day, which should provide antioxidants in sufficient quantities. For one of the best, vitamin C, the best sources are red and green peppers, oranges, broccoli and leafy vegetables -- and a couple of glasses of orange juice will do nicely.
For vitamin E, Dowden suggests nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, avocados and whole grains. But the higher doses (of 67 milligrams or more) now thought to be beneficial for older people can be "realistically obtained only through a supplement."
Another antioxidant is selenium, and the best source is Brazil nuts -- although supplements again may be in order. Carotenoids also are vital, and Dowden says these can be found in the right quantities in red peppers, cantaloupes, spinach, mangos and oranges. And, she says, "eat a variety of brightly colored vegetables to obtain the diversity of carotenoids the body needs."
