Food Sources of Antioxidants

Food sources of antioxidants

You may have heard the antioxidants - such as vitamins C and E, carotene, lycopene, lutein and many other substances - may play a role in helping to prevent diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and macular degeneration.

But if you're looking to prevent these diseases by taking antioxidant supplements, recent research indicates that it's unlikely you'll experience a benefit - and it's possible that some supplements could be harmful.

Fortunately, research is also increasingly showing that you can reap the potential health benefits of antioxidant intake by eating a diet rich in antioxidant containing foods.

When it comes to antioxidant intake, no one food or food group should be your sole focus. It's best to include a wide variety of foods as part of a healthy well-balanced diet. Some of the better food sources of antioxidants include:

• Berries - blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and cranberries are among the top sources of antioxidants.

• Beans - small red beans and kidney, pinto and black beans are among the top sources of antioxidants.

• Fruits - many apple varieties (with peel) are high in antioxidants, as are avocados, cherries, green and red pears, fresh or dried plums, pineapple, oranges, kiwi and others.

• Vegetables - those with the highest antioxidant content include artichokes, spinach, red cabbage, red and white potatoes (with peel), sweet potatoes and broccoli. Although the effect of cooking on antioxidant levels varies by cooking method and vegetable, one recent study showed that cooking generally increased levels among select vegetables.

• Beverages - green tea may come to mind as a good source of antioxidants, but other beverages have high levels, too, including coffee, red wine and many fruit juices.

• Nuts - walnuts, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts and almonds are some of the top nuts for antioxidant content.

• Herbs - these may be unexpected suppliers of antioxidants, but ground cloves, cinnamon or ginger, dried oregano leaf, and turmeric powder are all good sources.

• Dessert - dark chocolate ranks as high or higher than most fruits and vegetables in terms of antioxidant content.

One reason why foods appear to be a better choice than supplements is that foods contain an unmatchable array of antioxidant substances.

A supplement may contain a single type of antioxidant - or even several. However, foods contain thousands of types of antioxidants - vitamin A alone has several hundred forms - and it's not known which of these substances are able to confer benefits.

In fact, many researchers theorize that antioxidants in food form chemical networks that can interact with our own cellular and genetic intricacies. Therefore, it's best to get your antioxidants from foods, and when you choose supplements, choose whole food supplements.

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