Some of the top antioxidants include vitamins A, E and C. Other strong antioxidants that are found in food include those found in wild and cultivated blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. Beans, such as small red beans, red kidney beans and pinto beans, are also rich in antioxidants.
Antioxidants are substances that protect the cells against damage from free radical oxygen molecules. Other foods abundant in antioxidants include fruit such as black plums, Granny Smith apples, prunes and sweet cherries. Russet potatoes are also high in antioxidants.
Carotenoids are a class of antioxidants and are found in green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, mustard and beet greens and Swiss chard. Carotenoids are also found in yellow or orange vegetables such as carrots, pumpkins, orange sweet peppers, mangos, sweet potatoes and other types of squash.
Lycopene is another type of carotenoid. Fruits that have a lot of lycopene tend to be red, such as tomatoes and watermelons. Green beans, broccoli, corn and sea vegetables such as kelp are also high in antioxidants.
Flavonoids, which include flavones, flavonols and flavanones, can be found in berries. Tea and coffee also contain flavonoids. One type of flavonoid, resveratrol, comes from the skins of black or purple grapes and is found in red wines.