Foods High in Antioxidants, Selenium, and Vitamin E
Foods High in Antioxidants, Selenium, and Vitamin E
By Gerald T. Keegan, MD, FACS, and Lynn Keegan, RN, PhD, HNC-BC, FAAN
Most high antioxidant foods are vegetable matter (i.e., tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and peppers). Fruits and vegetables that have rich hues of color contain phytonutrients concentrated in the skins of many vegetables and fruits and are responsible for not just their color, but also their scent and flavor as well. Phytonutrients are perhaps the best antioxidant foods that exist in nature. For example, red onions, rather than white ones, contain the most antioxidants. If you like grapes, eat the red ones. Instead of green peppers, try yellow, orange, purple, or red. Remember, the deeper and richer the color of the fruit or vegetable, the more phytonutrients present within it. As noted in Table 1, blueberries are among the best food sources of antioxidants.
Selenium
Plant foods are the major dietary sources of selenium in most countries throughout the world. The content of selenium in food depends on the selenium content of the soil where plants are grown or animals are raised. For example, researchers know that soils in the high plains of northern Nebraska and the Dakotas have very high levels of selenium. People living in those regions generally have the highest selenium intakes in the United States. In the United States, food distribution patterns across the country help prevent people living in low-selenium geographic areas from having low dietary selenium intakes. Soil in some parts of China and Russia has very low amounts of selenium. Selenium deficiency is often reported in those regions because most food is grown and eaten locally.
Selenium also can be found in some meats and seafood. Animals that eat grains or plants grown in selenium-rich soil have higher levels of selenium in their muscle. In the United States, meats and bread are common sources of dietary selenium. Some nuts are also sources of selenium. Selected food sources of selenium are provided in Table 2.
Vitamin E
Vegetable oils, nuts, green leafy vegetables, and fortified cereals are common food sources of vitamin E in the United States. Table 3 lists many food sources of vitamin E. Food values are listed in alpha-tocopherol equivalents to account for the variation in biological activity of the different forms of vitamin E.
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