We all know that blueberries are a great source of antioxidants, but it may surprise you to know that there are several other foods that have been newly discovered to also contain antioxidants. You may find them easier to incorporate them into your daily diet.
What are antioxidants? Antioxidants are compounds that have the power to destroy free-radicals, things that tend to destroy cells leading to premature aging, illness, even cancer. The more antioxidants in your diet, the better.
Here are some of the food that has been newly discovered to contain powerful antioxidants.
Popcorn
Pop your popcorn at home to get the most polyphenols, plant-based compounds that fight cancer. Popcorn popped at home without preservatives is 100 percent whole grain and packed with about four times the amount of polyphenols of fresh fruit!
Eggs
Eggs contain lutein which helps protect eyes from disease. Spinach has more of this antioxidant, although recent research has revealed some surprises. The lutein in eggs is more easily absorbed by the body, so you may be getting more of it from eating eggs than you would eating spinach. Eggs are mush easier to incorporate into most people’s diets, too.
Pasta
We tend to think of pasta as a carb to be avoided, but in its whole grain form it can deliver those powerful antioxidants in the form of polyphenols. It is important that you choose whole grain pasta specifically, even over enriched or refined versions.
The polyphenols in whole grain flour are comparable to those found in fresh produce.
Yogurt
This one is a little bit of a cheat. Yogurt doesn’t actually have any known antioxidants in it but it does have plenty of something else that is needed for those antioxidants to work: riboflavin. Riboflavin is a B vitamin that the antioxidant glutathione needs to destroy free radicals. And where can you get glutathione? It is already available in our cells.
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