Topics

• World's Healthiest Foods Highest in Antioxidant Phytonutrients
• Effects of Processing on Antioxidant Content in Foods

  Discussion

  World's Healthiest Foods Highest in Antioxidant Phytonutrients

  According to a study of the antioxidant content of foods commonly eaten in the U.S., which was published in the July 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the World's Healthiest Foods that rank highest in their content of antioxidant phytonutrients include the following:

  World's Healthiest Foods Highest in Antioxidant Phytonutrients
  Food	Antioxidant Content measured in mmol/100g serving (100g=3.5 oz)
  Blackberries	5.75
  Walnuts	3.72
  Strawberries	3.58
  Artichokes, cooked	3.56
  Cranberries	3.13
  Raspberries	2.87
  Blueberries	2.68
  Cloves, ground	2.64
  Grape juice	2.56
  Cranberry juice	2.47
  Pineapple juice	1.86
  Prunes	1.72
  Cabbage, red, cooked	1.61
  Orange juice	1.51
  Pineapple	1.28
  Oranges	1.26
  Plums, black	1.21
  Pinto beans, dried	1.14
  Spinach, frozen	1.05
  Kiwi fruit	0.99
  Molasses	0.98
  Potatoes, red, cooked	0.96
  Potatoes, white, cooked	0.92
  Sweet potatoes, baked	0.90
  Tea, brewed, iced, unsweetened	0.88
  Potatoes, russet, cooked	0.86
  Peppers, red, cooked	0.82
  Broccoli, cooked	0.78

  Effects of Processing on Antioxidant Content in Foods

  The researchers also looked at the effect of processing (peeling, cooking via steaming, boiling) on some of the foods and found that the way a food is processed definitely affects its antioxidant content. Their results are summarized in the following table.

  Surprisingly, they found that the antioxidant content increased in the following foods when they were cooked: carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, red cabbage, green and red peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes.

  Steaming emerged as the preferred method of cooking since it clearly resulted in the biggest increase in antioxidant content.

  Not surprisingly, peeling apples and cucumber decreased their antioxidant content to 33-66% and 50% of the amount in the unpeeled foods, respectively.

  Effects of Processing on Antioxidant Content in Foods
  Food	Type of Processing	Antioxidant Content % Compared to Non-Processed Food
  Apples	Peeling	(-)33-66%
  Carrots	Steaming	(+)291%
  Carrots	Boiling	(+)121-159%
  Cucumbers	Peeling	(-)50%
  Asparagus	Steaming	(+)205%
  Broccoli	Steaming	(+)122-654%
  Cabbage, green	Steaming	(+)448%
  Cabbage, red	Steaming	(+)270%
  Green pepper	Steaming	(+)467
  Red pepper	Steaming	(+)180%
  Potatoes	Steaming	(+)105-242%
  Tomatoes	Steaming	(+)112-164%
  Spinach	Boiling	(+)84-114%
  Sweet potatoes	Steaming	(+)413%

  References

  • Halvorsen BL, Carlsen MH, Phillips KM, Bohn SK, Holte K, Jacobs DR Jr, Blomhoff R. Content of redox-active compounds (ie, antioxidants) in foods consumed in the United States. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Jul;84(1):95-135. 2006. PMID:16825686.

Send this page to a friend...