Abstract
Fruits and vegetables are sources of natural nutraceuticals. They contain a variety of bioactive compounds such as vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers and other phytochemicals that contribute to their health-promoting properties and disease prevention. A wide variety of fruits and vegetables should be eaten to ensure that an individual’s diet includes a combination of phytonutraceuticals and to obtain all their health benefits. This study aimed to compare the antioxidant potential and cardiovascular benefits within a restricted sample of ten fruits and ten vegetables, previously reported as largely consumed in Portugal. With data available from the literature, antioxidant potential scales were established. Additionally, a set of seven criteria, including high antioxidant capacity (FRAP values above 1), presence of n-3 fatty acids, saturated fat, cholesterol, trans fatty acids, fiber and sodium was used to create comparative scales of their potential cardiovascular benefits. The main results showed that the fruits that simultaneously exhibited the highest antioxidant potential values and the highest cardiovascular potential benefit were lemon, grapes, and melon; among vegetables, the top rankings were found to be tomato and onion. These products have been recognized as interesting sources of natural nutraceuticals for the food and pharmaceutical industries. In the future, similar approaches are desirable to translate complex scientific data into practical, simple and user-friendly information for food literacy initiatives, including nutrition education materials, about the relative level of the potential cardiovascular benefits of a wide diversity of food products.
Published Version
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