Broccoli Another excellent antioxidant foods are green leafy vegetables. Your mom always say, "Eat your broccoli." Believe me, your mom is not out to torture you by making you eat veggies you hate. There is actually a scientific reason to this. Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables like cabbages, cauliflowers, and Brussels sprouts are great antioxidant foods. This new disease-fighting substance is said to be found in red grapes, whose juice and skin may offer more than just wine. The antioxidant red grapes are contained in the seeds of the fruit. Scientists say that these antioxidant red grapes may offer significant protection against certain types of cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cataracts, and many other chronic and degenerative diseases. Some antioxidant fruits may also be taken in dried, powdered forms, like dietary supplements or pills. There is some research though that antioxidant fruits may be taken better if you actually include them in your diet. Fruit, vegetables, and cereals in your diet have additional benefits compared to taking antioxidant fruits supplements. Recent studies have shown that part of the benefit from eating fresh produce everyday comes from antioxidants. These are substances that defend our body against the ravages brought on by free radicals. The first ever antioxidants to catch the attention of scientists and the vitamin supplement industry is beta-carotene or more commonly known as Vitamin A. These substances are called free radicals. Free radicals can be harmful to the body, especially if there is an excess of them. They may cause damage to the cell membranes, causing them to weaken. Because free radicals are chemically unstable, they have this bad habit of stealing electrons from stable molecules and in so doing, turn these molecules into free radicals themselves. This antioxidant dietary supplement works best when taken with Vitamin C as it seems that both vitamins have synergistic effect when taken in combination. Besides vitamins, antioxidant dietary supplements may be in the form of botanicals. Green tea, for example, is a rich source of the flavonoid derivatives (polyphenols) epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).