Recipes and Cooking Healthy Recipes Healthy Eating 11 Antioxidant Foods to Add to Your Grocery List Now Add these powerful antioxidant foods to your shopping list to help fight heart disease, cancer, and aging. By Katlyn Moncada Katlyn Moncada Instagram Katlyn Moncada is the associate food editor at BHG.com, sharing food news and tutorials on becoming better home cooks. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, photography, and video production. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on April 11, 2023 Reviewed by Jessica Jones, MS, RD Reviewed by Jessica Jones, MS, RD Jessica is a nationally-recognized Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator, Writer, Speaker, and Digital Content Strategist. As the co-founder of the wellness content media company, Food Heaven, Jessica creates engaging food and nutrition content for over 80 global corporations, food companies, and media outlets including American Heart Association, Blue Apron, Adobe, Dove, and KitchenAid. Jessica also co-hosts the top 50 nutrition Food Heaven Podcast, which explores the intersections of nutrition, health, and wellness through a social justice lens. With over 3 million downloads to date, the Food Heaven podcast has been a pillar for accessible and inclusive health and wellness insights since 2015. In addition to being a go-to nutrition expert, writer, and columnist for SELF magazine, Jessica is the co-author of the 28-Day Plant-Powered Health Reboot and A Diabetes Guide to Enjoying the Foods of the World. Learn about BHG's Nutrition Review Board Fact checked by Marcus Reeves Fact checked by Marcus Reeves Marcus Reeves is an experienced writer, publisher, and fact-checker. He began his writing career reporting for The Source magazine. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Playboy, The Washington Post, and Rolling Stone, among other publications. His book Somebody Scream: Rap Music's Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power was nominated for a Zora Neale Hurston Award. He is an adjunct instructor at New York University, where he teaches writing and communications. Marcus received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Learn about BHG's Fact Checking Process Share Tweet Pin Email In This Article View All In This Article Artichokes Beans Blackberries Blueberries Cranberries Dark Chocolate Pecans Potatoes Prunes Raspberries Spinach You've probably heard the term antioxidants thrown around a lot when it comes to healthy eating and things that are good for your body. But what are antioxidants? According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, antioxidants are man-made or natural substances that may prevent or delay some types of cell damage. Our bodies naturally have some antioxidants to fight free radicals (unstable molecules that can cause diseases), but there are many vegetables, fruits, and other natural foods that studies reveal have significant sources of antioxidants. Some examples of antioxidants include vitamins C and E, selenium (a mineral that can help protect against infection), and carotenoids (organic pigments that can help decrease risk of disease). If you're on a path to maintain healthier eating habits, here are some of the best antioxidant foods to start incorporating into your weekly meal plans today. Con Poulos Try Our Grilled Summer Artichoke Recipe Artichokes Artichokes are packed with vitamin C, folate, and fiber. For beginners, artichokes from the jar or can (that we use in artichoke dip!) are available for convenience. If you're up for a little adventure, try cooking the fresh variety of this antioxidant-rich food, which takes a little practice to snip and trim. Peter Krumhardt Beans While all beans have health benefits, the more colorful beans, such as red and black, may have an added bonus. Beans are rich in flavonoids, plant substances that act as nature's dyes and give many fruits and vegetables their colors. These plant components act as antioxidants to give you some protection against heart disease and certain cancers. Serve beans as a side dish or substitute them for meat once or twice a week (they're a great plant-based protein!). This antioxidant food is a great excuse to make homemade chili or those black bean burgers you've been meaning to try. Sara Remington Get Our Antioxidant-Rich Salad Recipe Blackberries Packed with anthocyanins, a plant chemical that gives them their deep color, blackberries are an antioxidant food worthy of your regular meal plan. The tart fresh berries are also rich in vitamin C and fiber, which have been shown to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and heart disease. Enjoy them as a healthy snack or to top your salad. Blaine Moats Try These Healthy Blueberry Recipes Blueberries Blueberries are bursting with antioxidants. When it comes to antioxidant fruits, blueberries rank toward the very top. Similar to blackberries, blueberries are loaded with the healthy plant substance called anthocyanin, which gives them that gorgeous blue hue and provides some protection against heart disease. Preliminary research also indicates that blueberries may have a positive effect on improving night vision and reducing blood glucose levels. Bonus: Frozen blueberries are just as nutritious as fresh when they're out of season. Andy Lyons Try Our Favorite Antioxidant-Rich Cranberry Recipes Cranberries Cranberries aren't just for Thanksgiving. For years, doctors have touted the fact that cranberries prevent harmful bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract, thus cutting down on the possibility of infections. Now researchers also point out that cranberries are a high antioxidant food. The little red berries also contain other phytonutrients important for protecting the body against heart disease, cancer, and other conditions such as memory loss. Add the antioxidant-rich fruit to more than sauce by using cranberries in healthy recipes such as a fresh salad or roasted cauliflower. Jason Donnelly Enjoy These Healthy Dark Chocolate Recipes Dark Chocolate Bet you didn't know that dark chocolate is full of antioxidants. In this case, studies suggest the cocoa extracted from the cacao tree is rich in plant substances called flavanols that may help to protect the heart. The natural cocoa polyphenols are even shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Andy Lyons Pecans Pecans (and other nuts such as almonds and walnuts) are well known for fighting free radicals and are packed with vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that can prevent cell damage. These powerful nuts are even believed to be a natural anti-inflammatory ingredient. Try roasting the antioxidant-rich food to give them more flavor. Jason Donnelly Try Our Top-Rated Hasselback Potatoes Recipes Potatoes In addition to being a great source of carbohydrates, potatoes are packed with a variety of key nutrients. Potatoes are nutritious, high in fiber, and definitely belong on our antioxidant food list. Research by Potatoes USA shows potatoes contain an "assortment of phytochemicals with antioxidant potential, most notably carotenoids and anthocyanins." In fact, in a study that looked at 42 vegetables, russet potatoes ranked fifth highest for the total antioxidant levels. Enjoy your potatoes mashed or baked for a nutritious side. Scott Little Get Your Antioxidants with Our Moroccan Chicken Recipe Prunes Long revered as a good source of fiber, prunes are also recognized for their antioxidant properties and helping slow age-related mental and physical problems. Also high in potassium, vitamin K, and boron (which may have bone protective qualities), these dried plums are the perfect antioxidant food to add to your morning cereal or enjoy as a quick snack. By the way, they're also great for bone health. Blaine Moats Try Our Antioxidant-Rich Raspberry Sorbet Raspberries High in polyphenolic compounds, which are plant chemicals that act as powerful antioxidants and fight cardiovascular disease and cancer, raspberries help fight inflammation. Use those tart red berries in a summery pie or drop a few in your mocktail. Kritsada Panichgul Try These Spinach Salad Recipes Spinach Not only is this leafy green packed with nutrients, it's great for eye health! Concerning antioxidants, spinach is one of the best sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, which can defend the eyes from free radicals. It's delicious as a base for a healthy salad (like this tilapia salad, pictured above). Learn our Test Kitchen's best tips for cooking spinach all the ways for a quick and easy side dish full of antioxidants. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Better Homes & Gardens is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources—including peer-reviewed studies—to support the facts in our articles. Read about our editorial policies and standards to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy. "Antioxidants." Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 2023 "Antioxidants: In Depth." National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. 2023 Panche, A. H. et al. "Flavonoids: An Overview." Journal of Nutritional Science. vol. 5, 2016, pp. 47, doi: 10.1017/jns.2016.41 Mosca, Luciana et al. 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