Dr. LJ Rose is an international expert in mind dynamics, psychology, and alternative healing modalities. Author of eight self-help books, she is the founder of the Natural Wellness Academy, offering professional online coaching certification and one-on-one mentoring in niche wellness careers since 2013.
Do you want to slow down aging and feel vibrant at any age? You’re not alone. While we all inevitably age, how we experience this natural process largely depends on how our bodies handle stress and toxicity. The secret weapon against premature aging? Antioxidants from fruits and vegetables.
In this article, you’ll discover the powerful 5-7-9 rule for daily antioxidant servings and nine practical, easy-to-implement strategies to incorporate more of these age-fighting nutrients into your everyday routine. Whether you’re a busy professional, a health enthusiast, or simply looking to age gracefully, these approaches will help you harness the power of antioxidants to combat oxidative stress, enhance your skin’s appearance, boost your energy, and improve your overall well-being.
What is oxidative stress?
Oxidative stress occurs when there’s an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in your body. Our bodies are bombarded daily by toxins in the environment, additives in our foods, the buildup of pharmaceuticals in the liver and other vital organs, ultraviolet radiation, and pollutants in the air. As a result of this constant onslaught, unstable molecules called free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated in the body, both endogenously (through internal processes) and exogenously (through external sources that we consume via ingestion, respiration and absorption through the skin).
The body naturally creates antioxidants to neutralize these free radicals and minimize damage. These antioxidants can be enzymes (e.g., glutathione, catalase) or molecules (e.g., vitamins C and E, flavonoids). However, when the system is overloaded, this internal defense mechanism becomes disrupted, leading to oxidative stress. This imbalance can cause damage to our DNA and ultimately pave the way for accelerated aging and increased vulnerability to various diseases and degenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease.
How antioxidants combat aging
Antioxidants are your body’s natural defense system against the aging effects of oxidative stress. These powerful compounds work by neutralizing free radicals before they can cause cellular damage, essentially acting as your body’s anti-aging army. Fruits and vegetables are by far the best exogenous sources of antioxidants, along with nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes. Because fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients (also known as phytochemicals), they play a key role in providing the body with potent antioxidant properties.
Phytochemicals, or phytonutrients, are bioactive compounds that make up part of a plant’s immune system, protecting it from bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Studies have shown that a diet rich in phytonutrients may help protect against damage caused by environmental toxins and metabolic processes. These powerful free radical fighters consist of:
Vitamins: particularly vitamin C (found in citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables, peppers, and strawberries) and vitamin E (found in mangoes, spinach, broccoli, nuts, and seeds).
Carotenoids: beta-carotene (found in carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes), lycopene (found in tomatoes, watermelon, and red peppers), and lutein (found in spinach, leafy greens, and yellow squash).
Polyphenols: flavonoids (found in all berries, apples, onions, and green and black tea) and resveratrol (found in grapes, red wine, blueberries, and mulberries).
Minerals: selenium (found in Brazil nuts, peas, and lentils).
Amino acids (organic): glutathione, a natural detoxifier found in spinach, avocado, and asparagus.
This is why we are advised to “eat from the rainbow”, eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables ensures that you receive a wide range of antioxidants, each offering unique benefits. The synergistic effect of these compounds provides more comprehensive protection against oxidative stress than any single antioxidant alone.
Understanding the 5-7-9 rule
The 5-7-9 rule refers to the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables to maximize antioxidant benefits. For the past decade or so, health experts have advised consuming at least five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The term “serving” can seem vague, giving the impression that you need plates filled mainly with vegetables. However, a serving can be as simple as a handful of berries, raisins, radishes, or a few frozen strawberries.
What’s become clear is that the variety of fruits and vegetables consumed matters more than the quantity of each serving. Even a handful of raw, preserved, baked, dried, or freeze-dried fruits and vegetables rewards your body with a bounty of phytonutrients. The 5-7-9 rule suggests:
A minimum baseline of five different fruits and vegetables daily.
An optimal target of seven different fruits and vegetables daily.
An aspirational goal of nine different fruits and vegetables at least once or twice per week.
Research on Blue Zones, regions where people live significantly longer, healthier lives, shows that these longevity-blessed communities consume foods rich in antioxidants as part of their daily diet, such as the much-lauded Mediterranean diet. By following the 5-7-9 rule, you’re essentially adopting one of the key dietary patterns associated with increased longevity and healthy aging.
Why supplements can’t replace whole foods
Before diving into strategies for increasing your antioxidant intake, it’s important to address the growing market of antioxidant supplements. Many companies advertise products that purportedly deliver the benefits of multiple fruits and vegetables in just a couple of capsules. While these supplements may seem convenient, they simply cannot replace whole foods.
According to registered dietitians, these supplements might be a quick way to incorporate some produce compounds into your routine, but you’ll inevitably miss out on the synergistic nutritional benefits that come with eating whole fruits and vegetables. Whole foods contain fiber, water, and a complex matrix of nutrients that work together synergistically in ways that isolated compounds in supplements cannot replicate.
Additionally, supplements might contain concentrated forms of certain compounds without the balancing effects of others present in whole foods. There are also concerns about the growing methods of the produce used in these supplements; if they’re not organic, you could potentially be getting a chemical or pesticide load along with the nutrients. The FDA has investigated some companies for overstepping limits in what they claim their supplements can cure or prevent.
Nothing can replace consuming the “real thing”, whole fruits and vegetables in their natural form or minimally processed. The strategies below will help you incorporate these whole foods into your daily routine without relying on supplements.
9 simple ways to increase your daily antioxidant servings
1. Pack them into smoothies, salads, soups, and stews
One of the most efficient ways to tick off your Daily Antioxidant Servings (DAS) is to pack multiple fruits or vegetables into a single dish. Smoothies, salads, soups, and stews are perfect vehicles for this approach. A morning green smoothie can provide four to six servings in one glass. Combine greens, frozen banana, berries, pineapple, and mango, and you’ve fulfilled your minimum daily count by 10 a.m.
For soups and stews, start with a base of chopped onions or shallots, mushrooms, and garlic, often adding chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley. At the end, fold in some shredded baby spinach or other leafy greens to preserve their nutrients. A single well-crafted soup or stew can contain your entire day’s worth of antioxidant servings.
2. Chop herbs and greens into everyday dishes
A pair of kitchen scissors or shears can be your best culinary friend when it comes to adding antioxidants to your diet. Keep herbs or greens like watercress, parsley, or cilantro on hand so you can snip them directly into sauces, dressings, or even onto prepared dishes. These are loaded with nutrients and help you tick off some of your DAS with minimal effort.
Did you know that a single green onion (scallion) provides your entire daily requirement of vitamin K, along with about 5% of your daily vitamins C and A? Scallions can be easily regrown from their root ends, making them an economical and sustainable addition to your kitchen. Try snipping fresh scallions into just about everything savory, hot or cold. In pasta dishes, they caramelize nicely when folded in. Scrambled eggs with sautéed green onions make for a simple yet impressive breakfast that gets rave reviews.
3. Grab handfuls throughout the day
If you tend to graze rather than eat defined meals, make those snacks count by grabbing handfuls of antioxidant-rich foods throughout the day. A single handful of any of these items counts as one DAS:
Four to six olives
Three to five radishes
Four to six carrot sticks
A handful of raisins or other dried fruits (preferably unsweetened and unsulfured)
A handful of sprouts or microgreens (sunflower sprouts are particularly satisfying)
Frozen grapes, strawberries, jackfruit, or blueberries (especially refreshing on warm days)
While sprouted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds offer protein plus antioxidants, they typically wouldn’t count toward your fruit and vegetable DAS.
4. Create antioxidant-rich breakfast bowls
A great way to get three to five fruits early in your day is to have an açaí bowl, chia pudding, cereal, or oatmeal (even overnight oats) topped with a variety of fruits. This approach works well for those who enjoy a substantial breakfast and provides a solid foundation of antioxidants to start your day.
Try combining cereals with plant-based milk like vanilla almond or oat milk, then adding a variety of dried, frozen, fresh, and freeze-dried fruits and berries. This quick breakfast can help you tick off several of your DAS before you’ve even left the house.
5. Roast vegetables to enhance flavor and enjoyment
Roasted vegetables make everything taste better! Even when eating salads, adding roasted vegetables introduces different temperatures and textures, making the meal more satisfying. Roasting brings out natural sweetness and depth of flavor, making it easier to consume vegetables you might otherwise find boring.
Roasted vegetable dishes, like roasted vegetable garlic pasta, make excellent options for potlucks or holiday meals and ensure you’re getting multiple antioxidant servings in a single dish. The caramelization that occurs during roasting actually changes the chemical composition of the vegetables, often making certain nutrients more bioavailable.
6. Stuff antioxidant-rich vegetables with more vegetables
Stuffed peppers, cabbage, squash, and zucchini are ideal vegetables for stuffing and provide a great way to add more antioxidants to a main meal. The outer vegetable serves as both a serving vessel and an additional antioxidant source, while the filling can contain multiple other vegetables and herbs.
This approach is particularly useful for creating satisfying main dishes that center on vegetables rather than meats or grains. A stuffed pepper, for example, might contain onions, garlic, spinach, tomatoes, and herbs in the filling, potentially providing five or more DAS in a single serving.
7. Utilize dried and freeze-dried fruits and vegetables
There is now a much wider variety of dried and freeze-dried fruits and vegetables available, including exotic and tropical options, at health food stores, specialty grocers, and even in many conventional supermarkets’ health sections. These can be true “saving graces” in ensuring you meet your 5-7-9 goal, and some are so delicious that they can replace less nutritious snacks or desserts.
When shopping for dried fruits, check for added sugar or sulfates, which generally reduce the nutritional value.
8. Make colorful main meal salads
Main meal salads can be much more appealing when you focus on variety, color, and texture. Instead of thinking of salads as just leafy greens with a few toppings, approach them as an opportunity to create a colorful, nutrient-dense meal. Include a variety of raw vegetables, roasted vegetables for warmth and texture contrast, some fruit for sweetness, nuts or seeds for crunch, and perhaps some beans or grains for substance.
A truly satisfying main meal salad might include five to seven different plant foods, easily helping you meet your DAS goals in a single meal. The visual appeal of a colorful salad also makes the experience more enjoyable, increasing the likelihood that you’ll continue incorporating these nutrient-dense meals into your routine.
9. Keep track of your daily servings
One of the simplest yet most effective strategies is to mindfully track your daily antioxidant servings. Keep a mental count, and track them on your phone, notepad, or a marker board in your kitchen. The act of counting increases awareness and often motivates you to reach for that extra fruit or vegetable to hit your daily goal.
Within a few weeks of consistent tracking, this process becomes automatic and painless. You’ll find yourself naturally including more variety in your meals. More importantly, you’ll likely notice increased brightness in your skin, more energy, and an overall sense of well-being and accomplishment as your body responds to the influx of antioxidants.
The benefits you’ll experience
Following the 5-7-9 rule consistently leads to noticeable improvements in multiple aspects of health and well-being. Within a few weeks of implementing these strategies, many people report:
Brighter, clearer skin with improved tone and texture
Increased energy and vitality throughout the day
Better digestion and gut health due to increased fiber intake
Improved immune function and fewer minor illnesses
Enhanced cognitive clarity and focus
Better mood stability and stress resilience
Reduced inflammation and associated discomfort
A general sense of well-being and accomplishment
These benefits occur because antioxidants help neutralize the free radicals that contribute to cellular damage and aging. By providing your body with a diverse array of antioxidants, you’re supporting its natural defense systems and promoting optimal function across all systems.
Start your antioxidant journey today
Aging gracefully isn’t just about good genetics; it’s about making consistent choices that support your body’s natural anti-aging mechanisms. The 5-7-9 rule provides a simple framework for ensuring you get the variety of antioxidants needed to combat oxidative stress and support healthy aging.
Remember that serving sizes can be small, a handful here, a sprinkle there, and that variety matters more than quantity. Start by aiming for five different fruits and vegetables daily, then work your way up to seven as your new normal, with occasional days hitting nine or more. Use the strategies outlined above to make this process enjoyable rather than burdensome.
Within a few weeks, you’ll likely notice positive changes in how you look and feel, motivating you to continue this beneficial habit. Aging is inevitable, but how we age is influenced by our daily choices. By embracing the 5-7-9 rule and implementing these simple strategies, you’re taking a powerful step toward aging with vitality, energy, and grace.
Are you passionate about helping others achieve optimal health through natural nutrition? Join the Natural Wellness Academy’s Holistic Health Coach & Mind-Gut Specialist dual certification program and learn how to guide clients in implementing powerful strategies like the 5-7-9 rule. Our comprehensive certification programs equip you with the knowledge and skills to transform lives through evidence-based nutrition and wellness approaches.
Read more from Dr. LJ Rose
Dr. LJ Rose, Therapist, Author, Professional Speaker
LindaJoy Rose, Ph.D., is the founder of the Natural Wellness Academy est. 2013 training mind/body/spirit wellness coaches in 40+ countries. The author of eight self-help books, including Your Mind: The Owner’s Manual, Dr. LJ is a pioneer in the worldwide training of hypnotherapy, subconscious dynamics, Jungian archetypes, and healthy lifestyle hacks.
