Fruit and veg is facing a fresh challenge to its health crown - this time from coffee.
The development stems from new research by US scientists, who measured the antioxidant content of more than 100 different food items, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices and beverages.
The results revealed coffee - both caffeinated and decaffeinated - emerged as easily the biggest source of antioxidants, taking account of the amount per serving and level of consumption. Black tea came second, followed by bananas.
Despite this, study leader Professor Joe Vinson said it was important not to ignore the benefits of fresh fruit and vegetables: “Unfortunately, consumers are still not eating enough fruits and vegetables, which are better for you from an overall nutritional point of view due to their higher content of vitamins, minerals and fibre.”
Dates were found to be the richest source of antioxidants, but since so few are eaten by Americans, they only contributed a small amount of antioxidants to the average diet.
