Antioxidant fruits and Vegetables

One of the most important steps you can take to prevent heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease is to eat plenty of antioxidant-rich foods. As discussed in a previous article on free radicals, antioxidants protect your health by preventing and repairing damage caused to your cells by excessive free radicals.

Antioxidants are plentiful in plant foods, particularly those that have bright colors. According to this study, the 20 most antioxidant-rich foods are as follows:

Rank	Food	Serving Size	Antioxidant Capacity per Serving
1	Small red beans, dried	1/2 cup	13727
2	Wild blueberries	1 cup	13427
3	Red kidney beans, dried	1/2 cup	13259
4	Pinto beans	1/2 cup	11864
5	Blueberries, cultivated	1 cup	9019
6	Cranberries	1 cup	8983
7	Artichoke hearts, cooked	1 cup	7904
8	Blackberries	1 cup	7701
9	Dried prunes	1/2 cup	7291
10	Raspberries	1 cup	6058
11	Strawberries	1 cup	5938
12	Red delicious apple	One	5900
13	Granny Smith apple	One	5381
14	Pecans	1 ounce	5095
15	Sweet cherries	1 cup	4873
16	Black plum	One	4844
17	Russet potato, cooked	One	4649
18	Black beans	1/2 cup	4181
19	Plum	One	4118
20	Gala apple	One	3903

The highest ranked foods in four major categories are as follows:

Fruits: blueberries, cranberries, and blackberries.

Vegetables: beans, artichoke hearts, and surprisingly, russet potatoes.

Nuts: pecans, walnuts, and hazelnuts.

Spices: cinnamon, oregano, and ground cloves.

Here are a few points to keep in mind when choosing antioxidant-rich foods:

Because there are many different types of antioxidants that can protect your tissues from different types of damage, it is best to eat a wide range of antioxidant-rich foods.

How much you benefit from the antioxidants found in the foods you eat depends on how well you breakdown and absorb these foods.

If you just don't have the time to eat a large green salad every day, consider buying a good juicer and drinking a fresh vegetable juice on a daily basis. If you haven't already, please read my article on the dangers of eating too much fruit.

When washing and preparing vegetables and fruits, be sure to wash non-organic varieties with extra care to help remove pesticide residues. Raw chocolate and goji berries are two foods that are extremely rich in antioxidants but were not evaluated for the study cited above.

Experts say a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help you ward off infections like colds and flu. That’s because these super foods contain immune-boosting antioxidants.

What are antioxidants? Free radicals can also interfere with your immune system. So fighting off damage with antioxidants helps keep your immune system strong, making you better able to ward off colds, flu, and other infections.

Adding more fruit and vegetables of any kind to your diet will improve your health. But some foods are higher in antioxidants than others. The three major antioxidant vitamins are beta-carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E. You’ll find them in colorful fruits and vegetables – especially those with purple, blue, red, orange, and yellow hues. To get the biggest benefits of antioxidants, eat these foods raw or lightly steamed; don’t overcook or boil.

Beta-carotene and other carotenoids: Apricots, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, corn, green peppers, kale, mangoes, turnip and collard greens, nectarines, peaches, pink grapefruit, pumpkin, squash, spinach, sweet potato, tangerines, tomatoes, and watermelon.

Vitamin C: Berries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, cauliflower, grapefruit, honeydew, kale, kiwi, mangoes, nectarines, orange, papaya, red, green or yellow peppers, snow peas, sweet potato, strawberries, and tomatoes.

Vitamin E: Broccoli, carrots, chard, mustard and turnip greens, mangoes, nuts, papaya, pumpkin, red peppers, spinach, and sunflower seeds.

Other super foods that are rich in antioxidants include:

Prunes

Apples

Raisins

All berries

Plums

Red grapes

Alfalfa sprouts

Onions

Eggplant

Beans

Vitamins aren’t the only antioxidants in food. Other antioxidants that may help boost immunity include

Zinc: Found in oysters, red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, seafood, whole grains, fortified cereals, and dairy products

Selenium: Found in Brazil nuts, tuna, beef, poultry and fortified breads, and other grain products

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