High Polyphenols Foods

Know Your High Polyphenol Foods & Polyphenol Sources

A principle of the Gene Smart Anti Inflammatory Diet & Exercise Program is to increase polyphenols. This is one of the most delicious aspects of the Gene Smart Program!  You can find high polyphenol foods among popular fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, red wine tea, and even in herbs, spices and seasonings.  These rich polyphenol sources represent nature’s abundance of great tasting foods; but they have varying levels of polyphenol bioactives that work with our genes to keep us healthy and reduce whole body inflammation. That’s why we’ve created this handy guide to high polyphenols foods.

[download polyphenol foods list]FREE Downloadable Guide to High Polyphenols Foods & Polyphenols Sources!

Click here to download your FREE List of High Polyphenol Food and Low Polyphenol Foods.  Use this convenient guide as a reference to make smart choices at the grocery store or when dining out.  You may find it helpful to print this list of high polyphenol foods to carry with you or to post on your refrigerator.

High Polyphenol Foods

Fruits

Vegetables

Legumes, Nuts, Seeds

  • Apples (peeled red or green with skin)
  • Apple butter or applesauce
  • Apple cider and juice
  • Apricots
  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Cherries (sweet or sour)
  • Chokeberries
  • Citrus: blood oranges, navel orange, tangelos, tangerines, etc. (the white pithy stuff is flavonoid-rich)
  • Cranberries
  • Currants (black or red)
  • Dates
  • Elderberries
  • Gooseberries
  • Grapes (red or purple)
  • Kiwi
  • Lemon
  • Ligonberries
  • Limes
  • Mangoes
  • Marionberries
  • Nectarines
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Plums and prunes (dried plums)
  • Pomegranates
  • Quinces
  • Raspberries
  • Rhubarb
  • Raisins
  • Strawberries
  • Artichokes
  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage (red)
  • Celery (particularly the hearts)
  • Corn
  • Eggplant (aubergine)
  • Fennel
  • Garlic
  • Greens (dark, leafy e.g. kale and turnip)
  • Kohlrabi
  • Leeks
  • Lovage
  • Onions (red, white, yellow)
  • Peppers (small, hot)
  • Parsnips
  • Peas (green or English)
  • Rutabagas
  • Scallions
  • Shallots
  • Spinach (raw)
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Tomatoes (cherry or grape)
  • Watercress
  • Almonds
  • Cashews
  • Chick peas
  • Beans (black beans, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, red kidney beans)
  • Fava beans
  • Flax seeds
  • Hazelnuts
  • Lentils
  • Nut butters
  • Pecans
  • Peanuts
  • Pistachios
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Snap beans
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Walnuts

Dark Chocolate – A High Polyphenol Food Treat

For high polyphenol content, choose those with at least 60 percent cacao, preferably 70%. To maximize the high polyphenol food benefit, choose those with high polyphenolic additives – ingredients like blueberries, cranberries, currants, orange peels, and raspberries as opposed to caramel, flaked coconut, or toffee. Consume in moderation and be careful that you stay within your overall daily calorie goals!

Herbs, Spices, and Seasonings

  • Basil
  • Capers (red or green)
  • Chives
  • Cinnamon
  • Curry
  • Dill weed
  • Horseradish
  • Ketchup
  • Oregano
  • Parsley
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Tarragon
  • Thyme
  • Vinegar

High Polyphenol Beverages

Red Wine

Cabernet Sauvignon, Egiodola, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Syrah are high polyphenol varietals. (French wines are slightly preferred over California wines due to the aging process.) Red wines contain 10-100 times the polyphenol levels of white and rosé wines.

Tea

High polyphenol beverages include many preparations of “true” tea, whether black, green, or Oolong, decaffeinated or not, and served hot or cold with or without lemon. Teas from Ceylon and Darjeeling are good, and Earl Grey is a good tea blend.

Low Polyphenol Foods

Fruits

  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Figs
  • Grapefruits
  • Pineapple
  • Fruit jellies and jams
  • Processed juices (from concentrate) and juice drinks

Vegetables

  • Bok Choy
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Cucumbers
  • Endive
  • Mushrooms
  • Peppers (sweet red and green)
  • Potatoes (white or yellow)
  • Pumpkin
  • Spinach
  • Squash (yellow)
  • Tomatoes (fresh full-size or canned)
  • Zucchini

 

Learn More about the Benefits of High Polyphenols Foods

For more information on the benefits of polyphenols and selecting foods that rank high on the polyphenol foods list, visit our section on polyphenol foods benefits.

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The Gene Smart Team

What Is Gene Smart? At Gene Smart we provide health news, information and scientifically researched supplements. Our supplement formulas are cutting-edge and meet the highest quality assurance standards in the industry, to help you with a variety of health conditions....


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