Best Antioxidant Rich Foods For Men

By now most of you would have heard and read a lot about antioxidants in various articles across various forums. Antioxidants as you know are vitamin substances that can help prevent the effects of free radical damage in the body.

In other words, antioxidants can neutralize the process of oxidation and cellular damage which contributes to aging and disease. Some foods are extremely high in antioxidant content, consumption of which are essential for a healthy lifestyle.

Antioxidants can be found as vitamins, minerals or phytochemicals. Each fruit and veggie has their own unique combination of various antioxidants, which is why you are advised to include various seasonal fruits in your diet to benefit from most of the antioxidants.

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Even though there are antioxidant supplements that are meant to boost your antioxidant intake, it is recommended that you choose various forms of natural foods like fresh fruits and vegetables over them.

Vegetables, leafy greens, beans, dry fruits etc are rich source of essential antioxidants. Tomato, berry, peaches, kale, plums, cantaloupe, corn etc are among highly rich antioxidant foods.

It is essential to include antioxidant rich foods in your regular diet to be healthy. The brain is uniquely vulnerable to oxidative injury, which is why antioxidants are commonly used as medications to treat various forms of brain injury.

People who eat fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of heart disease and some neurological diseases due to its antioxidant contents.

Here are some of the antioxidant rich foods to include in your diet.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are rich source of an antioxidant called lycopene, which is more potent in cooked or processed tomatoes. This gives more reasons to feast on the tasty tomato sauce or jam.

Berries

Berries like strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are overflowing with antioxidants called anthocyanins, which give them the colour. These are healthy foods that help fight heart diseases.

Kale

The antioxidant lutein gives this stone fruit its beautiful hue. Lutein helps keep your heart, skin and eyes healthy. These antioxidants protect skin cells by counteracting free radical activity, making you look younger and glowing.

Garlic

The health benefits of garlic have been well touted for centuries, and raw garlic has been used as a natural antibiotic to kill off some strains of harmful bacteria. One clove of garlic contains vitamins A, B and C, selenium, iodine, potassium, iron, calcium, zinc and magnesium.

Plums

Stone fruit like plums are a rich source of healthy and essential antioxidants like phytochemical antioxidants. Dried plums, also known as prunes, have concentrated amount of antioxidants and fun to have.

Bell Peppers

Its is little known fact that bell pepper has more vitamin C than an orange. Red peppers have even more vitamin C than the green ones. Its nice to make your diet a little spicy with peppers.

Green tea

Green tea contains high concentrations of catechin polyphenols. These compounds work in the body with other chemicals to heighten levels of fat oxidation and thermogenesis, a process of burning fat inbody.

Cantaloupe

The bright orange color of this melon comes from the antioxidant beta-carotene. It is a rich source of antioxidants like Beta carotene, vitamin C, zeaxanthin.

Spinach

This green leafy bunch of goodness is one of the top sources of the antioxidant lutein, which helps protect your eyes. It is among the world's healthiest foods, rich in beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

Cherries

These small fruits are high in two inflammation-fighting phytochemicals namely, anthocyanins and quercetin. These rich, red pigments that give cherries their colour are a type of phytonutrient known as flavonoids, which have been linked to a variety of health benefits.