Understanding the Scope of a Low Oxalate Diet
If you are aware of the benefits of a low oxalate diet or have been advised to follow it by your healthcare provider, you might want to explore the science behind dietary oxalates. Oxalates can...
Top Antioxidant-Rich Foods and Their Benefits
Eating a well-balanced diet offers numerous health benefits, including supporting your heart health, immune system, and cellular health. Understanding what food sources are considered antioxidant-rich foods can certainly help empower you to make great additions to your daily nutrition.
In this article, we explore the power of antioxidants, highlighting their types, functions, and dietary sources of antioxidant-rich foods — while also looking beyond just what’s on your plate.
Antioxidants — A Powerhouse of Protection
When you think about plants and the natural protection they provide us, antioxidants may come to mind. Antioxidants are naturally occurring substances that work to protect our cells from unstable molecules known as free radicals.
It is important to note that some free radicals are a natural byproduct of metabolism, including breathing or respiration. However, we are also exposed to external sources of free radicals from the environment such as pollution, smoking, as well as our lifestyle choices.1 This includes what we consume in our diet. If we are indulging in foods high in saturated and trans fats, alcohol, or ultra-processed foods, then we are at risk for free radical production.
However, when there is an upset in the balance between antioxidants and free radicals in the body, support from additional antioxidants found in our diets or supplementation is warranted. When free radicals outnumber the antioxidants, this can lead to oxidative stress, which, over time, may impact overall health, brain function, and the aging process. Diets that include plenty of antioxidant-rich foods lend to supporting a healthy immune system as well.2
Looking to add some antioxidant-rich foods to your diet? Let’s take a closer look at some of the best food sources that offer plenty of protection and nutritive value.
Common Dietary Antioxidants
There’s a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, herbs, and spices that are considered excellent sources of nutrients. These foods provide vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytonutrients (also referred to as phytochemicals), and antioxidants, which may play an important role in supporting our health and well-being.
Plants such as fruits and vegetables, for example, contain more than just a single nutrient like vitamin A, C, or E, that act as an antioxidant. But rather there are many substances found in whole foods that work together to protect the cells and keep oxidative stress at bay. These foods may include a variety of phytochemicals specific to the food that have many other chemical properties in addition to the ability to serve as antioxidants.2
Some of the most common antioxidants found in foods include beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, glutathione, selenium, lutein, polyphenols, and alpha lipoic acids.3,4
Polyphenols: Prominent Antioxidants
Polyphenols are among the most prevalent antioxidants found in nature, and they stand out as some of the most powerful ones as well. These remarkable plant compounds are present in our diet. Polyphenols are categorized into five main subgroups: phenolic acids, stilbenes, lignans, tannins, and flavonoids5.
Now let’s dive in to find out how many of your favorite foods and beverages make the grade in contributing to your overall health.
Phenolic Acids
Phenolic acids make up one of the largest subcategories of the polyphenolic group. Common foods found in this category include: berries such as blueberries, chokeberries, blackberries, other fruits including dark plums and cherries, onions, peanuts, and cereals.5,6.7 Some beverages that we often enjoy on a daily basis include green and black teas and coffee.5
Stilbenes
You may not be super familiar with the term ‘stilbene’, but you may certainly be able to connect with the foods and beverages that are part of this polyphenolic group. Stilbenes include phytochemicals called resveratrol, a potent antioxidant. Resveratrol is found most abundantly in purple and red grapes as well as in red wine. Grape skins and seeds are a key source of resveratrol. Resveratrol may support heart health as well as healthy aging.8
Lignans
Lignans have certain biological properties, such as antioxidant activity. These properties may support heart health as well as a healthy inflammatory response in the body. Many antioxidant-rich foods contain lignans. Fruits, fiber-rich vegetables, legumes, and grains are good sources. The outer layers of grains provide a large amount of lignans. Seeds such as flax seeds have the most lignans, and sesame seeds prove to be another good source.5,9
Tannins
A balanced diet requires eating foods from each of the food groups. This ensures you obtain adequate nutrients as well as dietary antioxidants such as tannins. Tannins have excellent antioxidant activity and generally speaking, tannins are found in a variety of foods including some fruits, coffee, tea, and nuts.5,10 Additional foods that are rich in tannins include popular antioxidant-rich foods like blueberries, cranberries, mangos, and pomegranates.5
Flavonoids
Flavonoids are the largest group of polyphenols. Foods that are rich in flavonoids can be found in the following 6 flavonoid subcategories here:5
1. Flavanols. Green and black teas, cocoa, and chocolate contain flavanols. Flavanols are also abundant in apples, strawberries, cherries, red and purple grapes, and legumes.11
2. Isoflavones. The main dietary sources include soybeans and soy-based products.12
3. Anthocyanins. This group of polyphenols brings to mind rich hues of blue, purple, and red foods. These include: strawberries, raspberries, red cabbage, red grapes, red onions, sweet cherries, oranges, Concord grapes, blackberries, black raspberries, elderberry, eggplant, and others.
4. Flavanones. Foods that are rich in flavanone content are citrus fruits, including lemons and grapefruit.
5. Flavones. Bell peppers and celery top the list for flavones.
6. Flavonols. Broccoli, leeks, and strawberries are rich in flavonols.
When You May Need to Support Your Diet
Sometimes our diet requires a checkup to see if there are any nutritional gaps that we need to address. While we encourage a dietary intake of antioxidant-rich foods first, several factors can impact the bioavailability of antioxidants from food sources.
Growing conditions, for example, can impact certain plant species as well as any environmental stress, how the crops are cultivated, and the quality of the soil.
Did you know that there is a way to support your dietary intake and healthy lifestyle with another powerful, natural antioxidant? Carbon-60 (C60) is the single most powerful antioxidant ever discovered—a naturally occurring molecule that may be the most amazing chemistry discovery of the century.
C60 is a molecule with 60 tiny atoms shaped like a hollow soccer ball and characterized by those who’ve studied it as a “free radical sponge”. Not only is it several hundred times more powerful than conventional antioxidants, but it can also actually “reset” itself. So, while typical antioxidants can only neutralize one free radical at a time, C60’s free radical neutralizing power never diminishes.
If you would like to learn more about C60, you can discover the science behind this amazing molecule and discuss with your healthcare provider the health benefits that may support your wellness journey.
Key Takeaways
Consuming a diet with a wide variety of nutrient and antioxidant-rich foods supports overall balance in your diet. Many factors affect a person's eating habits, such as taste preference, medically prescribed dietary recommendations, as well as social and cultural aspects of food. Since diets can vary daily, you may want to speak with your healthcare practitioner about other natural ways to support your health. For example, learning more about Carbon 60 which is an outstanding, Nobel Prize-winning molecule that may support your immune system, healthy aging, and overall wellness.*
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent any disease. Individual results may vary.
References
1. “What Are Antioxidants? - the Nutrition Source.” The Nutrition Source, 18 Sept. 2012, nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/antioxidants/#antioxidants. https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/antioxidants/#antioxidants in food. Accessed 6 February 2025.
2. Arnarson, Atli. “Antioxidants Explained in Simple Terms.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 29 July 2019, www.healthline.com/nutrition/antioxidants-explained#what-they-are . Accessed 6 February 2025.
3. “Antioxidants.” The Nutrition Source, 18 Sept. 2012, nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/antioxidants/#antioxidants%20in%20food. https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/antioxidants/#antioxidants%20in%20food . Accessed 6 February 2025.
4. “Antioxidants and Their Protective Role against Free Radicals.” Biochemistry Den, 25 Feb. 2023, biochemden.com/antioxidants-their-protective-role/. https://biochemden.com/antioxidants-their-protective-role/. Accessed 6 February 2025.
5. Li, Wei, et al. “Research Progress on Classification, Sources and Functions of Dietary Polyphenols for Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases.” Journal of Future Foods, vol. 3, no. 4, 1 Dec. 2023, pp. 289–305, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772566923000198#sec0008, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfutfo.2023.03.001.
6. Mattila, Pirjo et al. “Phenolic acids in berries, fruits, and beverages.” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry vol. 54,19 (2006): 7193-9. doi:10.1021/jf0615247. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16968082/ .
7. Zadernowski, Ryszard et al. “Phenolic acid profiles in some small berries.” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry vol. 53,6 (2005): 2118-24. doi:10.1021/jf040411p. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15769144/ .
8. Umipig, Kyle. “5 Resveratrol-Rich Foods to Supercharge Your Health.” Longevity.Technology Lifestyle | Health, Fitness & Technology, 23 July 2024, longevity.technology/lifestyle/5-resveratrol-rich-foods-to-supercharge-your-health/. https://longevity.technology/lifestyle/5-resveratrol-rich-foods-to-supercharge-your-health/ . Accessed 6 February 2025.
9. Rodríguez-García, Carmen et al. “Naturally Lignan-Rich Foods: A Dietary Tool for Health Promotion?.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 24,5 917. 6 Mar. 2019, doi:10.3390/molecules24050917 . https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6429205/ .
10. Ojo, Moses Ayodele. “Tannins in Foods: Nutritional Implications and Processing Effects of Hydrothermal Techniques on Underutilized Hard-to-Cook Legume Seeds-A Review.” Preventive nutrition and food science vol. 27,1 (2022): 14-19. doi:10.3746/pnf.2022.27.1.14. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9007702/ .
11. Jones, Rosie. “What Are Flavanols?” Medicalnewstoday.com, Medical News Today, 21 July 2023, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/flavanols#supplements . Accessed 6 February 2025.
12. Křížová, Ludmila et al. “Isoflavones.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 24,6 1076. 19 Mar. 2019, doi:10.3390/molecules24061076. Křížová, Ludmila et al. “Isoflavones.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 24,6 1076. 19 Mar. 2019, doi:10.3390/molecules24061076. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30893792/ .
13. Yao, L H et al. “Flavonoids in food and their health benefits.” Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands) vol. 59,3 (2004): 113-22. doi:10.1007/s11130-004-0049-7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15678717/ .