High Polyphenols Foods

The Gene Smart Team454194 Views1128 Comments

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.

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.