On Food and Cooking

molecules that keep these high-energy
reactions from damaging essential DNA and
proteins. Among these plant antioxidants are
the carotenoid pigments, including orange
beta-carotene, yellow lutein and zeaxanthin,
and the red lycopene that colors tomato fruits.
Green chlorophyll itself is an antioxidant, as
are vitamins C and E. Then there are
thousands of different “phenolic” compounds
built from rings of 6 carbon atoms, which play
several roles in plant life, from pigmentation
to antimicrobial duty to attracting and
repelling animals. All fruits, vegetables, and
grains probably contain at least a few kinds of
phenolic compounds; and the more pigmented
and astringent they are, the more they’re
likely to be rich in phenolic antioxidants.
Each plant part, each fruit and vegetable,
has its own characteristic cluster of
antioxidants. And each kind of antioxidant
generally protects against a certain kind of
molecular damage, or helps regenerate certain