The USDA's top 10 antioxidant list includes:
- small red beans
- wild blueberries
- red kidney beans
- pinto beans
- blueberries
- cranberries
- artichokes
- blackberries
- dried prunes, and
- raspberries
Some antioxidant-rich foods are more potent when eaten cooked, including the yellow, red and orange-colored carotenoids -- cooking makes it easier for the body to absorb their antioxidants.
Certain herbs also pack an antioxidant wallop: dried thyme and basil have as much antioxidant power as vitamin E.
A cup of coffee consumed within 20 minutes after being brewed has the same level of antioxidants as three oranges.
Red wine and cocoa have also been found to be chock-full of antioxidants.
Antioxidants Destroy Free Radicals. This is called "Oxidation."
Free radicals are highly reactive atoms or groups of atoms with an uneven number of electrons, so they crave an even number of electrons. They roam our bodies ripping electrons off whatever they encounter, like cell walls and DNA. The process is called oxidation.
This has implications for diseases such as arterial sclerosis, cancer, diabetes, HIV and Alzheimer's. In fact, aging is sometimes defined as an accumulation of free radical damage.
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