Vegetables are excellent sources of antioxidants, with dark green, yellow, orange, and red varieties being the best. Leafy greens, asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, and tomatoes are all good choices, and olive oil is a great source of antioxidants too. A salad made from leafy greens topped with colorful vegetables and an olive oil-based dressing is a supercharged antioxidant meal.
Many people looking to increase their antioxidant intake look to fruits and so-called superfruits, but there are also a number of vegetables that are excellent sources of antioxidants. While antioxidant fruits are often eaten as toppings on cereals, snacks, and desserts, antioxidant vegetables can be incorporated as key ingredients in many dishes, creating meals that are supercharged with antioxidants. In addition to having the ability to fight free radicals, antioxidant vegetables are also often good sources of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and selenium. In many cases, the darker the antioxidant greens, the more packed they are with antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients. Some of the best antioxidant vegetables are dark green, yellow, orange, and red.
Dark green leafy vegetables are excellent antioxidant vegetables. This category includes spinach, watercress, arugula, kale, and bok choy. Other dark green antioxidant vegetables include asparagus, broccoli, green bell peppers, and Brussels sprouts. Bell peppers of the yellow and red varieties are also high in antioxidants.
The tomato is not technically a vegetable, but a fruit. However, many people think of it as a vegetable, cook it with other vegetables, and eat it together with other vegetables. Tomato is also a good source of antioxidants. Tomato juice is also rich in antioxidants.
Carrots, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes are good orange-colored antioxidant vegetables. Beets and radishes add a nice touch of red to the list. Eggplants offer a hint of purple. Many nutritionists and health gurus agree that a good diet is rich and varied in natural color. The same can be said of a diet rich in antioxidants.
There are a number of antioxidant vegetables that are used to make oils used in cooking. Olive oil, for example, is a great source of antioxidants. Green and black olives are also good sources of antioxidants on their own. Simply cooking a meal with olive oil can add a healthy dose of antioxidants, while also offering healthy fats.
In the end, perhaps one of the best antioxidant foods is a salad made from leafy greens. Top the salad with sliced carrots, tomatoes, asparagus, and an olive oil-based dressing and it’s even more loaded with antioxidants. To make the meal a little more filling, have a baked sweet potato on the side.
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