The regular consumption of antioxidants can be of great benefit to your health. Fighting damage to cells made by “free radicals”, antioxidants can help to reduce your risk of killer diseases such as cancer and heart disease, and it is thought that a regular dosage of antioxidants can even help to decrease aging itself.
Not a lot is known yet about the usage of our bodies with regards to antioxidants, but it is clear that they are a substance of great value to our health.
In the June issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, nutrition scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture have published a list of the twenty most antioxidant rich foods available today.
Using some of the most advanced techniques available to calculate antioxidant levels in over 100 different types of fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts, and spices, the list plays out as follows:
• Small red beans (dried).
• Wild blueberries.
• Red Kidney beans.
• Pinto beans.
• Blueberries (cultivated).
• Cranberries.
• Artichokes (cooked).
• Blackberries.
• Prunes.
• Raspberries.
• Strawberries.
• Red Delicious apples.
• Granny Smith apples.
• Pecans.
• Sweet cherries.
• Black plums.
• Russet potatoes (cooked).
• Black beans (dried).
• Plums.
• Gala apples.
As you may have noticed, many of the foods featured on this list are vibrantly colored fruits and vegetables. As noted before, little is known about antioxidants, but scientists conjecture that the more rich in color a food is, the higher the likelihood that it contains some of the antioxidants are body needs.
For example, an antioxidant known as lycopene can be found in red foods, such as watermelons and tomatoes. Experts in the field are currently working on a list that will describe the daily recommended requirements of these substances, but it will be a long and arduous task considering the picky nature of antioxidant rich foods.
While some antioxidants are more easily absorbed through cooking, such as those found in tomatoes, wild blueberries are best consumed fresh. The next 20 years will clearly result in some remarkable findings about the mysterious substances known as antioxidants
Not a lot is known yet about the usage of our bodies with regards to antioxidants, but it is clear that they are a substance of great value to our health.
In the June issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, nutrition scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture have published a list of the twenty most antioxidant rich foods available today.
Using some of the most advanced techniques available to calculate antioxidant levels in over 100 different types of fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts, and spices, the list plays out as follows:
• Small red beans (dried).
• Wild blueberries.
• Red Kidney beans.
• Pinto beans.
• Blueberries (cultivated).
• Cranberries.
• Artichokes (cooked).
• Blackberries.
• Prunes.
• Raspberries.
• Strawberries.
• Red Delicious apples.
• Granny Smith apples.
• Pecans.
• Sweet cherries.
• Black plums.
• Russet potatoes (cooked).
• Black beans (dried).
• Plums.
• Gala apples.
As you may have noticed, many of the foods featured on this list are vibrantly colored fruits and vegetables. As noted before, little is known about antioxidants, but scientists conjecture that the more rich in color a food is, the higher the likelihood that it contains some of the antioxidants are body needs.
For example, an antioxidant known as lycopene can be found in red foods, such as watermelons and tomatoes. Experts in the field are currently working on a list that will describe the daily recommended requirements of these substances, but it will be a long and arduous task considering the picky nature of antioxidant rich foods.
While some antioxidants are more easily absorbed through cooking, such as those found in tomatoes, wild blueberries are best consumed fresh. The next 20 years will clearly result in some remarkable findings about the mysterious substances known as antioxidants