10 Best Natural Foods with Antioxidants

10 Best Natural Foods with Antioxidants

Ever wondered why certain food products advertise on the packaging that they contain antioxidants? This sounds fancy and healthy at the same time. But what are antioxidants really? And what are the best foods with antioxidants that you should eat?

What are antioxidants?

Let’s start out by explaining how our human bodies work. Every day, our cells are exposed to oxygen, and while oxygen is important and even necessary for our being, it does have some negative side effects. You see, oxygen also causes oxidation in our body. How does this affect us? Well, during oxidation, body chemicals are transformed and become what are known as free radicals. These free radicals play a factor in our aging. They can cause hair to grey and the skin to wrinkle. However, free radicals can sometimes be dangerous too. For instance, they can cause chain reactions in the body and end up damaging essential chemicals, DNA, and parts of the cells, leading to diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Of course, environmental factors, like exposure to the sun, cigarette smoke, alcohol, and pollution, can create free radicals. That’s where antioxidants step in! Many natural foods, like fruits and vegetables, have antioxidant properties, and these properties may prevent or at least decrease the damage caused by free radicals. In the end, antioxidants can protect and reverse the damage caused by oxidation to some extent.

 What are the 10 Best Foods with Antioxidants?

Antioxidant-rich foods include fruits and vegetables that are high in nutrients such as vitamins A, C, E, beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, and selenium. Here’s a list of the top 10 foods with antioxidants:

• Blackberries: Here’s a surprising number! Just one cup of blackberries has half the daily recommended intake of vitamin C. Plus, blackberries have the most antioxidants among all the other berries you probably eat, like strawberries and raspberries.
• Walnuts: These are great for omega 3 fatty acids, but did you know that they are high in antioxidants too? Just an ounce of walnuts (about 15 to 20 halves) is full of antioxidants. Best of all, they are cholesterol-free. Just be careful not to overeat, because they do have a lot of calories.
• Strawberries: Although not as high in antioxidants as blackberries are, strawberries are still the second on the list. Loaded with your daily recommended intake of vitamin C, a cup of sliced strawberries is a perfect way to get your antioxidants. To top it off, strawberries come with fiber.
• Artichoke hearts: This yummy plant is rich in vitamin A, C, and E. Add it to your salad, meal, or as a side dish/appetizer.
• Cranberries: Like the other berries, cranberries are great because they have plenty of vitamin C and E, and you can also get your dietary fiber from consuming them.
• Brewed coffee: Yes! You now have an excuse to being coffee addict. The caffeine acts as an antioxidant. And did you know that caffeine also aids in weight loss?
• Raspberries: It’s becoming clear that berries that the kings of the antioxidant world. Therefore, it is no surprise that raspberries contain lots of vitamin C.
• Pecans: Like walnuts, pecans are great. Twenty kernels fill you with tons of antioxidants.
• Blueberries: These berries contain anthocyanin, a flavonoid with a powerful amount of antioxidant.
• Ground cloves: All you need is a teaspoon of ground cloves in your meal to consume sufficient antioxidants.

Be sure to include these 10 best foods with antioxidants in your daily diet to fight free radicals and stay healthy.