Antioxidant-rich foods have taken center stage as health and disease preventive foods since scientists established links between free radical damage and atherosclerosis, cancer, and vision loss. Antioxidant-rich foods include berries, leafy green vegetables, tomatoes and tomato products, red wine, dark chocolate coffee as well as some spices and herbs.
Leafy Green Vegetables
Green leafy vegetables contain abundant levels of phenolic compounds and flavonoids with anti-oxidant properties, providing the body with protection from free radical damage, thus decreasing risks associated with heart disease, cancer and other chronic illnesses.
Green leafy vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals, such as folate, vitamin A, C and K; iron, calcium and potassium; as well as being low-cal and offering antioxidant protection such as lutein and zeaxanthin.
Try adding arugula, baby spinach, mesclun mix, watercress or endive to salads; use bok choy (a variety of Chinese white cabbage) or turnip greens as an ingredient in soups, curries or stews; or simply include some steamed greens when creating your favorite dish such as an omelette or frittata.
Berries
Foods rich in antioxidants help fight inflammation and free radical damage that can contribute to heart disease, cancer and aging. Antioxidants include vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, lycopene, flavonoids, phenolic acids, phytoestrogens polyphenols and coenzyme Q10. Antioxidants may be more easily absorbed when eaten alongside other nutritious foods; tomatoes for instance contain plenty of lycopene which is better absorbed when consumed alongside fat such as olive oil for optimal absorption.
Berries such as blueberries and pomegranates are among the top food sources of antioxidants, boasting rich amounts of magenta-red-and-blue pigmentation from natural plant pigments called anthocyanins. Use them in your fruit salads or make a refreshing berry compote as dessert topping. Nuts like walnuts and almonds also contain high concentrations of these powerful nutrients – add them to stuffing recipes, sprinkle them over salads or roast them with honey and cinnamon for an irresistibly delicious snack!
Red Peppers
Peppers contain bioactive compounds that act as powerful antioxidants in our bodies, such as lycopene, vitamin C and flavonoids like quercetin and luteolin. According to Arthritis Foundation research, carotenoid beta-cryptoxanthin found in peppers may also lower rheumatoid arthritis risk.
Diets rich in antioxidant-rich foods provide your body with many of the necessary vitamins and minerals needed for good health. Red peppers contain ascorbic acid, commonly referred to as vitamin C; pro-vitamin A (beta carotene), which converts into vitamin A in your body; as well as ascorbic acid which has antioxidant benefits of its own.
Studies conducted over two consecutive years comparing nine cultivars of red sweet peppers cultivated for two consecutive years found that ascorbic acid, total phenolic content, b-carotene and capsaicinoid concentrations varied depending on cultivar and harvest year. Fructus Capsici’s antioxidant activity stood out due to its strong DPPH-scavenging activity and ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation inhibition; additionally it also contained higher concentrations of phenolics than any other sample sample due to these properties.
Artichokes
Artichokes offer delicious flavor and versatility, in addition to providing essential nutrients such as vitamin C, A, K and iron as well as potassium and antioxidants. As an added benefit they also contain prebiotic inulin that feeds beneficial probiotic bacteria found in your digestive system.
Artichokes may give your immune system a boost as well. According to the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, artichokes contain polyphenols which have the power to repair damaged cells that undermine immunity.
Artichoke polyphenols may even protect your skin! A 2018 study demonstrated that adding artichoke polyphenols to cosmetic cream reduced age spots and increased skin elasticity.
