The Top 20 Antioxidant Superfoods (and How to Maximize Their Power!)

Want to look younger as you age, keep your cells healthy and help guard against disease? Then fill your plate with superfoods with powerful free-radical fighting ability.

The antioxidant potential of a food to neutralize free radicals is estimated by several techniques including oxygen radical absorbency capacity (ORAC) and total antioxidants capacity (TAC). There are four ways to consume and absorb higher levels of antioxidants:

• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• Choose fruits and vegetables with higher levels of antioxidants per serving (those higher on the ORAC or TAC scales)
• Improve gastrointestinal health to improve your absorption of dietary antioxidants from food (see prebiotics and probiotics)
• Consume foods that are organic and processed and prepared in such a way that preserves antioxidant levels

Superfoods: Fight Free Radicals Deliciously

A recent study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry measured the levels of antioxidants in 100 foods. Here are the top twenty:

1. Small red bean, 1/2 cup=13,727
2. Wild blueberry, 1 cup=13,427
3. Red kidney bean, 1/2 cup=13, 259
4. Pinto bean, 1/2 cup=11,864
5. Blueberry, cultivated, 1 cup=9019
6. Cranberry, 1 cup=8983
7. Artichoke hearts, 1 cup=7904
8. Blackberry, 1 cup=7701
9. Prune, 1/2 cup=7291
10. Raspberry, 1 cup=6058
11. Strawberry, 1 cup=5938
12. Red Delicious apple, 1 medium=5900
13. Granny Smith apple, 1 medium=5381
14. Pecans, 1 ounce=5095
15. Cherries, 1 cup=4783
16. Black plum, 1 medium=4844
17. Russet potato, 1 medium=4649
18. Black beans, 1/2 cup=4181
19. Plum, 1 medium=4118
20. Gala apple, 1 medium=3903

Superfoods That Power Up Your Body’s Antioxidant Artillery

In addition to enjoying antioxidant-rich foods that are organically grown, it’s important to fill your plate with foods that stoke your body’s production of your “master antioxidant” – glutathione.