Which Fruit Has the Highest Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are substances that protect various molecules in the body from being attacked by harmful free radicals. When free radicals accumulate, they can damage cell structure and DNA.

We are constantly exposed to free radicals, whether it’s pollutants in the air, water, and soil,cigarettesmoke, heavy metals, or chemicals in certain foods. Although limiting the exposure to free radicals is crucial, being equipped to fight them through antioxidants is important too.

Adietrich in antioxidants helps keep tissues and organs healthy, ensuring that they perform their functions well. Antioxidants can also help prevent health conditions such asdiabetes,high blood pressure,heartdiseases,stroke,liverdiseases, kidney diseases, and even somecancers.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. However, your daily intake requirement may vary depending on your target calorie and macronutrient (carbohydrate, protein, andfats) needs.

Fruit containsfiberthat helps you stay full for longer, helping control your blood glucose levels. Furthermore, one fruit serving on average has about 80 to 90 calories. So if you are planning tolose weight, you must quantify the calories that you obtain from fruits as well.

One serving of fruit is:

• 1 medium-sized fruit (about the size of your fist)
• 1/2杯新鲜的、冷冻或罐装fruits
• 1/4 cup of dried fruit
• 1/4 cup of pure fruit juice

A single fruit serving is:

• 1 medium-sized apple, peach, pear, orange, kiwi, or nectarine
• 1 small (about 6-inch long) banana
• 1/2 a medium-sized grapefruit (about 4-inch diameter), mango, or avocado
• 4 large strawberries
• 1/4 of a medium pineapple
• ½-inch thick wedge of watermelon, honeydew, or cantaloupe

• If you have any underlying health conditions, especiallydiabetes, you should ask your doctor about how much fruit they recommend you to have each day.
• Consuming fruits of different colors will help you get more nutritional benefits than restricting yourself to one fruit.
• Besides fruit, you should also include vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and lean proteins to make sure yourdietis well balanced and healthy.
• Good hydration, physical activity,stress management, and adequatesleepare crucial to good health as well.