from Tufts University
Eating whole-grain cereal for breakfast or snacking on popcorn does more than just add fiber to your diet, according to new University of Scranton research:
- Whole-grain cereals and snacks also contain surprisingly high levels of antioxidants called polyphenols, rivaling such well-known antioxidant sources as fruits and vegetables.
- Scientists took a fresh look at the antioxidant content in whole-grain foods, measuring total antioxidants rather than just "free" antioxidants (those not bound to sugar).
- The findings were an eye-opener, perhaps helping to explain the health benefits of whole grains beyond their fiber content.
- Whole-grain cereals scored the highest, with oat varieties containing the most antioxidants, followed by corn and wheat.
- Popcorn proved the champ among snacks, delivering five times the antioxidants of any other snack tested; snacks that were more heavily processed, such as tortilla chips, lost much of their original antioxidant benefits.