One of the most important steps you can take to prevent heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease is to eat plenty of antioxidant-rich foods. As discussed in a previous article on free radicals, antioxidants protect your health by preventing and repairing damage caused to your cells by excessive free radicals.

Antioxidants are plentiful in plant foods, particularly those that have bright colours. As of May, 2005, the most comprehensive study of the antioxidant content of common foods that I know of was published in the June 2004 edition of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. According to this study, the 20 most antioxidant-rich foods are as follows:

Rank Food Serving Size Antioxidant Capacity per Serving 1 Small red beans, dried 1/2 cup 13727 2 Wild blueberries 1 cup 13427 3 Red kidney beans, dried 1/2 cup 13259 4 Pinto beans 1/2 cup 11864 5 Blueberries, cultivated 1 cup 9019 6 Cranberries 1 cup 8983 7 Artichoke hearts, cooked 1 cup 7904 8 Blackberries 1 cup 7701 9 Dried prunes 1/2 cup 7291 10 Raspberries 1 cup 6058 11 Strawberries 1 cup 5938 12 Red delicious apple One 5900 13 Granny Smith apple One 5381 14 Pecans 1 ounce 5095 15 Sweet cherries 1 cup 4873 16 Black plum One 4844 17 Russet potato, cooked One 4649 18 Black beans 1/2 cup 4181 19 Plum One 4118 20 Gala apple One 3903

The highest ranked foods in four major categories are as follows:

Fruits: blueberries, cranberries, and blackberries.

Vegetables: beans, artichoke hearts, and surprisingly, russet potatoes.

Nuts: pecans, walnuts, and hazelnuts.

Spices: cinnamon, oregano, and ground cloves.

Here are a few points to keep in mind when choosing antioxidant-rich foods: