What Foods Can Provide Antioxidants?

Author: Karen Lennox Time for reading: ~2 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

Thanks to antioxidants, our body is resistant to the occurrence of disease processes in it.

Taking antioxidants today is literally a must for maintaining good health given the stress, insomnia, some other health problem and especially because of the polluted environment and unclean food we eat.

Of course, the best way to get antioxidants is through food. It is clear that the maximum such compounds can be obtained through the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, which, alas, even due to the reduced amount of nutrients in them in recent decades, remain a leading source.

According to experts, the three most important antioxidant vitamins are beta-carotene , vitamin C and vitamin E. The presence of beta-carotene in fruits and vegetables is usually recognized by their color - yellow, orange, red, it is possible to be present in others. color like blue and purple. In principle, the presence of a strong bright color is an indicator of the presence of pigments , which in themselves are strong antioxidants . Because of them, for example, blueberries are so useful.

Beta-carotene can be provided by eating apricots, nectarines, peaches, mangoes, red grapefruit, tangerines, watermelon, pumpkin, asparagus, beets, broccoli, branded, green peppers, kale, turnips, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, corn and others.

Vitamin C is found in berries, strawberries, kiwi, grapefruit, orange, melon, mango, papaya, nectarines, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, tomatoes, red, green and yellow peppers, sweet potatoes.

Vitamin E is found in broccoli, avocado, mango, papaya, pumpkin, red peppers, spinach, turnips, sunflower seeds and nuts, mustard (mustard).

Other antioxidant-rich foods include prunes, including prunes, apples, raisins, red grapes, alfalfa sprouts, onions, eggplant, and legumes.

Minerals that are good to include in the group of antioxidants are zinc and selenium.

Zinc can be provided through the consumption of oysters, seafood, red meat, chicken, legumes, nuts, whole grains, including fortified foods and dairy products.

A way to take selenium is by regularly eating Brazilian nuts, tuna, beef, chicken, bread enriched with it and other cereals.

In order to preserve the antioxidants in the food and benefit from them, fruits and vegetables are best eaten raw, if possible, or slightly stewed, but in no case cooked or otherwise subjected to serious and prolonged heat treatment and cooking.

Fruits and vegetables are valuable for the body not only because of the selected antioxidants with which we chase diseases, but also with the fiber in them - a combination that still has no alternative. Of course, if you think you are taking a few vitamins and minerals for one reason or another, nutritional supplements are also an option for them to be delivered to the body so that deficiencies do not accumulate in it.

What Foods Can Provide Antioxidants?

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