Basics Food Sources High in Antioxidants By Cathy Wong facebook twitter Cathy Wong is a nutritionist and wellness expert. Her work is regularly featured in media such as First For Women, Woman's World, and Natural Health. Learn about our editorial process Cathy Wong Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Richard Fogoros, MD on August 05, 2016 Richard N. Fogoros, MD, is a retired professor of medicine and board-certified internal medicine physician and cardiologist. He is Verywell's Senior Medical Advisor. Learn about our Review Board Richard Fogoros, MD Updated on February 03, 2020 Print Dennis Gottlieb/Photodisc/Getty Images Choosing the best food sources of antioxidants can go a long way in enhancing your health and fighting disease. A class of compounds found in a wide range of foods (especially plant-derived foods), antioxidants help protect against the damaging effects of free radicals. It's thought that increasing your intake of the best food sources of antioxidants can help fend off a host of major health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and some forms of cancer. What Types of Foods Are the Good Sources of Antioxidants? Many vegetables, fruits, and other types of foods are excellent sources of antioxidant compounds, including anthocyanins, carotenoids (such as beta-carotene), lutein, lycopene, resveratrol, selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Furthermore, many whole foods provide a variety of antioxidant compounds, each with its own unique health effects. For example, grapes contain anthocyanins, vitamin C, resveratrol, and selenium, while dark leafy green vegetables like kale, spinach, and collard greens offer vitamins C and E, lutein, and an antioxidant called kaempferol. While vegetables and fruits serve as some of the best food sources of antioxidants, you can also fill up on antioxidant compounds by eating legumes and nuts, drinking tea (such as green tea and black tea), and using herbs and spices in your cooking. Snack foods like popcorn and dark chocolate also deliver a number of antioxidants. Best Food Sources of Antioxidants For a report published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2004, scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) performed what is considered to be the most comprehensive analysis of the antioxidant content of commonly consumed foods. The USDA scientists ranked these foods according to their total antioxidant capacity, which is a measure of the antioxidants' ability to neutralize free radicals. In their research on more than 100 foods, the report's authors found the following items to be the best food sources of antioxidants: Food, Serving Size, Antioxidant Capacity Per Serving Small red bean (dried), 1/2 cup, 13,727 Wild blueberries, 1 cup, 13,427 Red kidney beans (dried), 1/2 cup, 13,259 Pinto beans, 1/2 cup, 11,864 Blueberries (cultivated), 1 cup, 9,019 Cranberries, 1 cup (whole), 8,983 Artichoke hearts, 1 cup, 7,904 Blackberries, 1 cup, 7,701 Prunes, 1/2 cup, 7,291 Raspberries, 1 cup, 6,058 Strawberries, 1 cup, 5,938 Red delicious apples, 1, 5,900 Granny Smith apples, 1, 5,381 Pecans, 1 ounce, 5,095 Sweet cherries, 1 cup, 4,873 Black plums, 1, 4,844 Russet potatoes, 1 cooked, 4,649 Black beans (dried), 1/2 cup, 4,181 Plums, 1, 4,118 Gala apples, 1, 3,903 Why Should You Get Your Antioxidants From Food? While many individuals take antioxidant supplements, following a diet high in antioxidant-rich foods is considered the preferred way of boosting your antioxidant levels. In addition to containing a wide array of antioxidant compounds, these foods provide other key components of a healthy diet, such as minerals and dietary fiber. Although some preliminary studies suggest that antioxidant supplements may help thwart disease development by reducing oxidative stress, more research is needed before such supplements can be recommended for disease prevention. Get Your Antioxidants From Food National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health states that findings from scientific studies involving more than 100,000 people indicate that antioxidant supplements may not reduce the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and cancer. There's also some concern that taking antioxidants in supplement form may interfere with your body's ability to absorb other important nutrients. How to Boost Your Intake of the Best Food Sources of Antioxidants To load up on antioxidants, follow a balanced diet that includes plenty of plant-derived foods and limits your intake of processed food items. Aiming for nine servings of vegetables and fruits per day is a great way to increase your intake of the best food sources of antioxidants. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Looking to lose weight? Our nutrition guide can help you get on the right track. Sign up and get it free! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Benzie IF1, Choi SW2. 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