Top 20 Antioxidant-Rich Foods

[Paris Madeleine]

Top 20 Antioxidant-Rich Foods

Trying to maximize your intake of disease-fighting antioxidants? According to a new list published by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the following 20 foods contain the highest antioxidant concentration.

From highest to lowest:

1. Small red beans (dried)
2. Wild blueberries
3. Red kidney beans
4. Pinto beans
5. Blueberries (cultivated)
6. Cranberries
7. Artichokes (cooked)
8. Blackberries
9. Prunes
10. Raspberries
11. Strawberries
12. Red Delicious apples
13. Granny Smith apples
14. Pecans
15. Sweet cherries
16. Black plums
17. Russet potatoes (cooked)
18. Black beans (dried)
19. Plums
20. Gala apples

Antioxidants are naturally occurring nutrients that help prevent heart disease, cancer, and aging. Little is known about how antioxidants work and what affects their ability to function properly. Scientists believe that some antioxidants are more potent than others, and their potency can be affected by how they're cooked or how they're digested. For example, the antioxidants in blueberries lose their potency when cooked, while the antioxidants in tomatoes become more potent when cooked.

[yals]

Thanks for posting that Paris! I have a history of cancer in my family, so I'm always on the lookout for high-antioxidant foods. Thank goodness I LOVE most of the food on the list!!

[deborahdarling]

Thanks Paris- this is an extremely helpful list!

[MsVicky]

Paris,

Thanks for this terrific list. I have printed it out for constant use and will include these antioxidant foods into my everyday life.

[Ransomed One]

Thanks for the list. Now I guess we need to figure out which ones to eat raw & which ones to cook. :crazy: Nutrition is so complex.

[bluffview]

Thanks for the scoop Paris! I'll be adding more of these to my diet regularly.

[yals]

I recently read that cooked 'frozen' wild blueberries lose much of their anti-oxidant power. So, try to find them fresh! Or, if you buy frozen - defrost them in your fridge and use as a topping for ff ice cream, yogurt, or in your fav cereal! I just LOVE summer b/* I LOVE blueberries!!! I'm going to be sad to see them leaving the supermarket soon!