Antioxidants are widely known to be extremely useful. We can supply our intake with tablets as well, but here’s a list of eight fruits that offer us a large amount of antioxidants in a natural way, besides making us look better and lose weight.
Lemon
Not only the flesh of the lemon is valuable, being full of vitamin C, but its peel as well. It contains lots if pectin, a water-soluble fiber, which has a proven quality of helping with weight loss. For a full effect, it is enough to drink 30 ml of lemon juice with some peel added, mixed with water. It is important to choose organic fruit that doesn’t have pesticide residues on it skin.
Red grapefruit
According to a study, those who ate half a grapefruit every day for 12 weeks, lost 1.63 kilograms on average, while those who drank only grapefruit juice, lost 1.49 kilograms. The difference may seem negligible, except considering the fact that this was the only difference in the lifestyle of the test subjects. It seems that the flesh of the grapefruit in itself favors weight loss. Red grapefruit has a larger quantiry of the antioxidant lycopene than yellow grapefruit.
Figs
A handful of figs raise the level of antioxidants in your blood for four hours, which is more than in the case of most foods. Another advantage is that you can buy dried figs at any time of the year and they are easy to keep. However, you may raise your calorie intake considerably if you eat a whole package at a time, which is not a great idea if you are trying to lose weight.
Watermelon
This lycopene-rich delicacy contains 33% more antioxidants than the majority of fruits, thus providing extra protection from sunburns. However, this fact doesn’t mean you won’t need a sunscreen, only that the damage done to the cells by the sunrays will be much less. You won’t notice any difference if you don’t use a UV ray block for your skin.
Prunes
Even though dried fruit is on the list of forbidden foods in most weight loss diets because of its high sugar content, you may eat prunes without worries. This sweet snack is very rich in vitamin K and boron. Even by eating three pieces, you contribute considerably to maintaining your health, which indicates the presence of an extremely high amount of nutrients.
Cherries
This delicious seasonal fruit contains so much anthocyanin that it is able of reducing the amount of abdominal fat as well as the cholesterol and the blood sugar levels. The darker the fruit is, the more antioxidants it contains.
Blueberries
This fruit contributes to the good functioning of the memory, cognitive functions and the organ system responsible for balance. According to scientists, even a cup of blueberries has an antioxidant effect, and it can fight the aging of the brain cells.
Plums
Not only prunes are an antioxidant bomb; they work when fresh as well. The active ingredient in plums is planned to be used in anxiety disorders. Of course this doesn’t mean you only have to eat plums if you are in a bad mood. You can eat them at any time to speed up your metabolism.
Which fruit of the above do you like the best?