8 Foods High In Antioxidants To Help You Lead A Healthy And Happy Life

Foods high in antioxidants have a positive impact on your health and taste great

Fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, nuts, etc. are the main foods high in antioxidants but there are also many in the list. Antioxidants are an important compound found in various foods, and they play a significant role in protecting the cells from the damaging free radicals. The free radicals that are found in our body due to the excessive smoking, pollution, exposure to various chemicals and radiation are too dangerous for the health. The dietary antioxidants including Vitamin A, C, E, selenium and more create a line of defense thus keeping the free radicals far away from a body.

Here are some important foods that can help your body to get the required amount of antioxidants.

Blueberries

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Considering the health benefits of bananas, it would be nice to combine bananas and blueberries in some fruit salad. Thus, you will enhance the health benefits of these foods. And as for blueberries, it is one of the best high antioxidants foods which supplies enough amount of antioxidants in our body. It is the top winner when it comes to the great source of antioxidants. By eating blueberries, your body will get more amount of this substance than from any other fruits, vegetables, spices and other antioxidants-rich foods. Antioxidants in blueberries fight the free radicals and improve the nervous system, cognitive function, memory system, cardiovascular system and reduce muscle damage that is caused due to heavy exercising. But for a better result, it is advised to have the fresh blueberries rather than going for the ones in yogurt, dessert, etc. Frozen berries will also benefit the same way if the antioxidants are not damaged during freezing.

Red, purple and blue grapes

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There are many foods high in antioxidants, and grape is a great source of that, too. It contains powerful antioxidants called polyphenols that work to reduce the effect of various cancer cells along with minimizing the risk of cardiovascular disease. The flavonoid quercetin present in the dark color grapes has the anti-inflammatory properties which is very effective to prevent diseases such as atherosclerosis. Also, it lowers the blood pressure level in a body and thus helps us to stay healthy.

Kale

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This dark green color leafy vegetable is considered as a super food that is the common ingredient in vegetarian recipes. It contains antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. Loaded with so many vitamins, minerals, cancer-fighting antioxidants, kale is very helpful for a body and everyone should include this food in their diet chart. It has around 45 different flavonoids which contribute to the excellent detoxification of our body.

Indole-3-carbinol is a phytonutrient present in this veggie that assists in the repairing of DNA, and sulforaphane is another useful phytonutrient that protects us against the terrible colon and prostate cancer. So, if you are looking for the best foods high in antioxidants, this leafy veggie is a must to include.

Red Bell pepper

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Red bell pepper contains a high amount of vitamin C, E, and carotenoids, a substance that promotes health and reduces the risk of various diseases. But it is better to allow this veggie to ripe as both the amount of vitamin C and carotenoids is improved when it fully ripens. So, the capacity to provide more antioxidants in our body is also increased. Your body will get different flavonoids, hydroxycinnamic acids, carotenoids and many other powerful compounds from red bell pepper.

Artichokes

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The rich amount of the phytonutrient content in this vegetable makes it another super food. Your body will get a lot of antioxidants from artichokes. Quercetin is a phytonutrient found in this food that prevents heart diseases, protects you against cancer and acts as an anti- carcinogenic. Rutin is another phytonutrient. Having anti-allergenic properties, it promotes the vascular health. Also, this vegetable has anti-viral and anti-fungal properties.

Nuts

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If you are looking for one of the most balanced foods, there is no doubt that a nut is the best option for that. It contains all the required nutrients for our body including protein, carbohydrate and a good dose of fat. Also, all kind of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals are present in nuts. Resveratrol, plant sterols, etc. are some of the vital phytochemicals in nuts that lower the cholesterol level in our body.

Varieties of nuts that are available in stores offer many advantages to our body. For example, Brazil nuts are the best source of selenium while walnuts are the best source of plant omega 3s.

Tea

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Tea is loaded with high amount of antioxidants and this is not less than that present in fruits and vegetables. All kinds of tea such as black tea, green tea and oolong tea contain the same amount of antioxidants in them as all are prepared from the same plant but the processing method differs.

Tea supplies a high amount of polyphenols that detoxify our body by flushing out all the damaging free radicals. Flavonoids and catechins are some of the polyphenols in tea that are helpful to improve the brain function, metabolism rate, reduce the chance of cardiovascular diseases and various types of cancer.

Dark chocolate

Source: A Saucy Kitchen

Most people will be happy to hear that dark chocolate made from a cocoa tree is a great source of antioxidants. Though its sugary part is not of any help but dark chocolate contains a high amount of soluble fiber, minerals, organic compounds and all of them act as strong antioxidants to help various body functions.

Procyanidins, catechins, and epicatechin are some of the flavonoids present in dark chocolate that reduce the risk of various cancers, type-2 diabetes, asthma and heart diseases. Also, it lowers the level of bad cholesterol along with increasing the amount of high cholesterol in our body.

So, these are the foods high in antioxidants which will help you to stay healthy by keeping most of the diseases at bay. There are much more in the list such as whole grains, pecans, sweet potatoes, orange vegetables, etc. and all of them are very healthy.