Brightly colored fruits and vegetables aren\u2019t just great for an aesthetic farmers\u2019 market photo\u2014they\u2019re also excellent sources of flavonoids, chemical structures with powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as you are incorporating fruits and vegetables into your meals and snacks, you will be consuming flavonoids,\u201d says Jasmine Hormati<\/a>, MS, RD, CDN, founder of Mendinground Nutrition in New York City. \u201cIf you are able to have a variety of fruits and vegetables, even better.\u201d So, if you\u2019re looking for a bit of inspiration for your next grocery haul, here are 10 foods rich in flavonoids.<\/p>\n What are flavonoids?<\/p>\n \u201cFlavonoids are natural chemical structures found in vegetables, fruits, beans, wine, and more,\u201d says Hormati. There are different subgroups of flavonoids based on chemical composition and structure, such as flavones, flavonols, isoflavones, flavanols, anthocyanins, and catechins, she adds.<\/p>\n More broadly, flavonoids are a type of polyphenol that can help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.<\/p>\n According to a scientific review<\/a> published in 2020, flavonoids in plants help fight oxidative stress, serve as UV filters, give fruits and flowers their colors and aromas, and more. For humans, they translate to a variety of health benefits.<\/p>\n What are the benefits of flavonoids?<\/p>\n A 2016 scientific review<\/a> of flavonoids reported that they have \u201canti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, and anti-carcinogenic properties.\u201d As antioxidants, flavonoids neutralize free radicals (which are unstable atoms or molecules in the body that can cause oxidative stress). By reducing oxidative stress, flavonoids have been linked to the prevention of cardiovascular disease and to potential treatments for Alzheimer\u2019s disease, per a 2022 scientific review<\/a>.<\/p>\n In addition, the flavonoid quercetin<\/a> has been linked to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, while others have been found to improve the immune system.<\/p>\n 10 foods rich in flavonoids<\/p>\n Berries<\/p>\n Berries<\/a> across the board are fantastic sources of flavonoids. According to the USDA<\/a>, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, and cherries (more on those later) all contain more than 80 milligrams of anthocyanidins per 100 grams in addition to other types of flavonoids.<\/p>\n Parsley<\/p>\n According to the USDA<\/a>, the garnish parsley contains high levels of the flavone apigenin. It\u2019s also a good source of vitamins C, A, and K, to help with collagen synthesis, your immune system, bone strength, and more.<\/p>\n Capers<\/p>\n The journal Pharmaceuticals<\/a> reports that capers (a common ingredient in salads, pastas, and more) have an impressive 180.7 milligrams of the flavonol quercetin per 100 grams.<\/p>\n Red cabbage<\/p>\n Red cabbage gets its deep purple color from an anthocyanin called cyanidin, according to a 2004 study<\/a>, which makes it a more valuable source of flavonoids than green cabbage. That\u2019s not the only benefit, though; raw red cabbage also has 53.9 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams, the USDA<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n Red onion<\/p>\n A 2025 study<\/a> reported that red onions \u201ccontain the highest levels of quercetin, primarily in their outer layers.\u201d It also noted that Tropea red onions, specifically those from Calabria, Italy, \u201care particularly rich in anthocyanins, flavonoids (especially quercetin), and phenolic compounds, offering superior antioxidant properties and potential cardiovascular benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n Tea<\/p>\n A 2019 study<\/a> reported that both green and black tea<\/a> are high in flavonoids, but green tea contains more catechins. And don\u2019t worry, matcha fans, a 2020 study<\/a> found it\u2019s a rich source of flavonoids, too.<\/p>\n Cherries<\/p>\n Both sweet and tart cherries<\/a> are great sources of anthocyanidins and catechins. The Cleveland Clinic<\/a> notes they\u2019re also packed with other antioxidants, including vitamins A, C, and E.<\/p>\n Oranges<\/p>\n \u201cCitrus fruits such as oranges and lemons are rich in flavanones,\u201d Hormati says. Flavanones are especially known for \u201ctheir free radical-scavenging properties,\u201d the 2016 review notes, adding that citrus flavonoids are known not only for being antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, but also for lowering cholesterol and blood lipid levels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brightly colored fruits and vegetables aren\u2019t just great for an aesthetic farmers\u2019 market photo\u2014they\u2019re also excellent sources of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466389,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[277],"tags":[18,135,19,17,508,2555],"class_list":{"0":"post-466388","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-nutrition","13":"tag-wellness"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116510624808370690","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466388\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}