Top 12 high-antioxidant foods to fight disease

• You've heard the old saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
• Well, that might be true of cherries and blueberries too!
• Recently, the US Department of Agriculture rated the "total antioxidant capacity" of individual foods.
• Those with a score above 2,000 are considered high antioxidant or disease fighting foods.
• In the fruit category: prunes or dried plums, blueberries, and cherries top the list.
• Registered dietician Lauren Niemes said, "Summer is the best time to just load up on all these healthy foods that are in season, and so good this peak season when they are locally grown."
• The top antioxidant-rated vegetables: artichokes, red cabbage, and russet potatoes.
• A few nuts make the list too: pecans, walnuts, and hazelnuts.
• Niemes said scientists have recently discovered new sources of antioxidants are sort of newly discovered in some of these.
• "While we think of a lot of antioxidants are found in vitamins A, C, and E...scientists are discovering there are lots of other things in foods that have anti-oxidant properties," she said.
• Finally, some spices make the summer eating list, including oregano, cinnamon, and cloves.
• Try incorporating them to top off a few other healthy foods.