We hear so much, mostly from commercial brands promoting their products, about how important antioxidants are. When you think about it, how much do we really know about antioxidants and their sources? For instance, you’re already eating a fair bit of antioxidants via your regular diet because vitamins E and C, and beta-carotene are antioxidants. Did that surprise you?1
If you haven’t yet, please read my previous articles introducing antioxidants and evaluating the role of antioxidant supplements.
While there is some evidence that antioxidants play vital roles in our health and well being, the jury is still out when it comes to the specifics. For instance, while antioxidants do seem to play a role in the delaying of atherosclerotic (atherosclerosis refers to the buildup of fat, cholesterol etc in and on artery walls) lesions, their role in the prevention and treatment of cancers is uncertain, sometimes even causing harm in that context. Here’s a bit of good news though; Vitamin C appears to have a definite role to play in improving the quality of our skin.1
So where do we get our dose of dietary antioxidants from? Here’s a table containing antioxidant values for foods sourced from India, from a list that contains over 3,100 foods.2
Antioxidant Content Of Some Indian Foods
| Food Item | Antioxidant Content (mmol/100gm) |
|---|---|
| Triphala, powder in capsule | 706.25 |
| Amalaki (Amla), powder in capsule | 301.14 |
| Amla berries, dried | 261.53 |
| Clove, whole, dried | 252.04 |
| Arjuna, powder in capsule | 146.95 |
| Neem Guard, powder in capsule | 89.23 |
| Saffron, dried ground | 61.72 |
| Tulasi, (Holy basil), powder in capsule | 39.67 |
| Chyavanprash, Dabur | 35.7 |
| Nutmeg, dried | 33 |
| Cinnamon, dried ground | 31.64 |
| Amla, syrup from canned Indian Gooseberries | 29.7 |
| Ajwain fruit pods, dried | 28.42 |
| Blood Purifier, powder in capsule | 25.42 |
| Saffron, Balaji, dried ground | 23.83 |
| Nimba (Neem Tree), powder in capsule | 19.99 |
| Nutmeg (Jalwatri), dried | 19.42 |
| Tej Pata (bay leaves), dried | 18.54 |
| Walnuts, with pellicle | 15.84 |
| Walnuts, with pellicle (purchased with shell) | 15.76 |
| Shuddha guggulu, powder in capsule | 13.77 |
| Turmeric, whole, dried | 13.6 |
| Amla, Indian Gooseberries, whole, canned | 13.27 |
| Ginger, dried | 11.31 |
| Star anise, dried | 11.3 |
| Brahmi, powder in capsule | 10.4 |
| Tea, green, leaves, dried, Kashmir Kahawa | 10.13 |
| Digestiv, powder in capsule | 7.68 |
| Karela, bitter gourd, powder in capsule | 7.57 |
| Pomegranate arils, dried | 7.28 |
| Saunf, big, dried | 7.09 |
| Tea, green, Green Label, dried | 6.77 |
| Saunf, small, dried | 6.46 |
| Tagara, valerian, powder in capsule | 6.44 |
| Stress Guard, anti stress, powder in capsule | 6.39 |
| Shah jerra, dried | 5.34 |
| Ayur Slim, powder in capsule | 4.94 |
| Pepper, black, whole, dried | 4.15 |
| Mustard seeds | 3.78 |
| Chili, without seeds, dried | 3.74 |
| Tamarind | 3.5 |
| Coriander, seeds, green, dried | 3.49 |
| Pepper, white, whole | 3.49 |
| Tea, Darjeeling, leaves, dried | 2.93 |
| Rai, dried | 2.84 |
| Mango, dried | 2.82 |
| Shallaki, powder in capsule | 2.58 |
| Chili, red with seeds, dried | 2.52 |
| Fenugreek, seeds | 2.09 |
| Dates, dried, Chuhare | 1.88 |
| Cardamom pod, green, whole | 1.85 |
| Cardamom seeds (from green pod) | 1.64 |
| Cardamom, whole fruit, dried | 1.64 |
| Kidney beans, striped, large size, dry | 1.61 |
| Kidney beans, medium size, dry | 1.39 |
| Apricots, dried | 1.32 |
| Soyatein (protein rich soya) | 1.32 |
| Lentils, Posune | 1.14 |
| Cardamom seeds, dried | 1.13 |
| Figs, dried | 1.08 |
| Soy beans, white, small size, dry | 0.99 |
| Kidney beans, dry | 0.81 |
| Kidney beans, large size | 0.81 |
| Lentils, black with peel | 0.66 |
| Raisins, green | 0.65 |
| Chickpeas, small size | 0.57 |
| Moung Dal, with peel | 0.53 |
| Black eyes beans, white, medium size, dry | 0.5 |
| Sesame seeds, white | 0.49 |
| Maize cob (Corn), dried | 0.4 |
| Wheat, whole grain | 0.38 |
| Lentils, Toor Dal, yellow | 0.35 |
| Lentils, Masoor Dal Sabat, dark brown, with peel | 0.34 |
| Maghaj, dried | 0.27 |
| Sesame seeds, black | 0.26 |
| Chickpeas | 0.19 |
| Rice | 0.16 |
| Lentils, white, split, Maa ki Dal | 0.16 |
| Lentils, Moong Dal, yellow, split | 0.15 |
| Carrots, red, in syrup | 0.15 |
| Lentils, Masoor Dal, pink, without peel | 0.1 |
| Syrup from red carrot | 0.07 |
References:
- 1.Hajhashemi V, Vaseghi G, Pourfarzam M, Abdollahi A. Are antioxidants helpful for disease prevention? Res Pharm Sci. 2010;5(1):1-8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21589762
- 2.Carlsen MH, Halvorsen BL, Holte K, et al. The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide. Nutr J. Published online January 22, 2010. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-9-3
