Disease Info       Antioxidants and Phytochemicals       Ratings of Foods

Take FAT SOLUBLE supplements either with food containing oil or in gel cap form.


Warning: Studies indicate that excessive doses of some antioxidants have an adverse effect, even aggravating a condition they normally help.  Therefore, use care if taking supplements.  A colorful diet may be preferable.

Phytochemicals: Many (all?) are also antioxidants.  They are widespread in plants and are generally not lost in cooking or processing, in fact, cooking increases indole availability in broccoli.  Phytochemicals include allylic sulfides, carotenoids, flavonoids, indoles, isothiocyanates, isolfavones, and saponins.

Antioxidants:  Play a key role in scavenging free radicals, which cause oxidation, and appear to help with a variety of diseases, including the list below.  Taken in excess, most antioxidants can cause foster oxidation.  A synthetic form of the potent antioxidant catechin may not do this (SN 3/1/03 p.141).  Since antioxidant levels in food have fallen significantly in the past 25 years, organic food may help.

Color:  Color provides a rough guide to content both type and amount (more colorful vegetables and fruits usually contain more).  See SN 1/8/05 p.27-29 for a discussion and results of recent breeding.  As a rough guide to color:


Some antioxidants and phytochemicals are


The USDA published some ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) for some foods (Agricultural Res. 2/99).  Data is per 100 grams.  Drying fruits (raisins, prunes) increases concentration by a factor of 6.  A typical apple has about the antioxidant capacity of about 1,500 mg of vitamin C and 100 grams is about 1/4 pound, which may give you some feeling for what the table means in terms of vitamin supplements.  (Apples are at 200 in the following list.)   Pomegranates should certainlly be on this list, but apparently were not studied.

 2,500

 blueberries

 

 

 

 

 

 2,000

 blackberries

 

 

 

 

 

 1,750

 cranberries

 

 kale

 

 

 

 1,500

 strawberries

 

 

 

 

 

 1,250

 raspberries

 

 spinach, raw

 

 

 

 1,000

 

 

 Brussels sprouts

 

 

 

    900

 plums

 

 alfalfa sprouts

 spinach, steamed

 broccoli florets

 

    800

 oranges

 

 beets

 

 

 

    260

grapes, red

 cherries

 bell pepper, red

 

 

 

    600

 kwifruit

 

 

 

 

 

    500

 

 

 onion

 

 

 

    400

 grapes, white

 

 corn

 eggplant

 cauliflower

 peas

    300

 cantaloupe

 

 white potato

 sweet potato

 

 

    200

 bananas

 apples

 carrots

 string beans

 tomato

 

    150

 apricots

 peach

 zucchini

 yellow squash

 

 

    100

 pear

 watermelon