Antioxidants and carotenoids—now there’s a mouthful! And the sweet potato dish to the left has lots of them. Following is a very simplified explanation of how antioxidants work in the body.    

First, imagine your body to be like a car. You fill up on gasoline or food to make it run. And just like a car, after burning the fuel, your body creates toxic exhausts or substances known as free radicals. Free radicals can damage your own cells, especially their DNA, which can then lead to abnormal cell behavior and eventually to disease, including cancer.

This is where antioxidants come into play. They are found in plant foods, and when introduced into the body, they help fight off the free radicals by neutralizing them. As a result, the antioxidants can short-circuit the disease process, and protect against DNA damage. Some of the most familiar antioxidants are vitamin C and vitamin E.

One category of antioxidants is called carotenoids—they create the pigments that color certain fruit and   more »