Best Food Sources of Antioxidant Vitamins

Study measures food antioxidants

Many people are familiar with vitamin C, beta-carotene, and vitamin E, antioxidants that are part of the body's defense against free radicals and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a process that mediates many chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

Antioxidants are found in fruit, cereals, and vegetables, or they can be taken in the form of dietary supplements. There is some research suggesting that a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, and cereals has additional benefits, because of lesser-known but potent antioxidants in food that may have a combined effect greater than that of any single nutrient or individual antioxidant supplement.

When it comes to antioxidant content, all foods are not created equal. A study published in a recent issue of the Journal of Nutrition analyzed the total antioxidant content of various fruits, berries, vegetables, cereals, nuts, and legumes. These are the results:

Overall Best Sources of Antioxidants

• Berries: dog rose, sour cherry, blackberry, strawberry, raspberry, crowberry, blueberry, black currant
• Walnuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Pomegranate
• Ginger

Ranked List by Individual Plant Group

Berries

• Dog rose
• Crowberry
• Bilberry/wild blueberry
• Black currant
• Sour cherry
• Strawberry
• Blueberry
• Cranberry
• Raspberry
• Cloudberry

Fruit

• Pomegranate
• Grape
• Orange
• Plum
• Pineapple
• Lemon
• Dates
• Kiwi
• Clementine
• Grapefruit

Legumes

• Broad beans
• Pinto beans
• Ground nut
• Soybeans

Nuts, seeds, and dried fruit

• Walnuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Apricots
• Prunes

Vegetables

· Kale

· Chili pepper

· Red cabbage

· Peppers

· Parsley

· Artichoke

· Brussels Sprouts

· Spinach
Cereals

• Barley
• Millet
• Oats
• Corn

Roots and Tubers

• Ginger
• Red Beets

Note: This is not a complete list. There are additional food sources of antioxidants not analyzed in this study, such as garlic.