An umbrella term for thousands of plant phenolic compounds. Useful as a category, but a "high polyphenol" figure says nothing about which compounds are present or whether they are absorbed.
86 foods, grouped by presence band. Bands are used instead of amounts because compound content swings widely with cultivar, soil, storage and preparation — a single number per food would look more precise than the measurements justify.
One of the compounds this food is characterised by in the literature.
Camellia sinensis
Leaves of the same plant as green tea, allowed to oxidise fully before drying, which converts most catechins into larger…
Olea europaea
Oil pressed mechanically from olives without heat or solvents, retaining the phenolic fraction that refining removes. Phenolic…
Consistently reported in this food in amounts researchers treat as meaningful.
Prunus dulcis
The edible seed of a stone fruit closely related to the peach, eaten raw, roasted or ground into flour and butter. The USDA…
Malus domestica
A pome fruit grown in temperate regions worldwide, with thousands of cultivars differing in acid, sugar and polyphenol content.…
Ocimum basilicum
The fresh leaves of Ocimum basilicum, used raw or added at the end of cooking because its aroma compounds are heat-sensitive. It…
Phaseolus vulgaris
A common bean variety whose dark seed coat carries anthocyanin pigments, staple across Latin America and the Caribbean. The USDA…
Rubus fruticosus
Dark aggregate fruit of bramble canes, distinguished from raspberries by keeping the central core when picked. Sold fresh in…
Vaccinium corymbosum
Small blue-purple berries of the Vaccinium genus, sold fresh, frozen and dried. Cultivated highbush varieties are larger and…
Fagopyrum esculentum
A pseudocereal seed from a plant in the rhubarb family, unrelated to wheat and free of gluten. The USDA reference entry is for…
Coriandrum sativum
The fresh leaf of Coriandrum sativum, the same plant that yields coriander seed. A well-documented genetic variation in olfactory…
Cinnamomum cassia / Cinnamomum verum
Dried inner bark from several Cinnamomum species. Almost all supermarket cinnamon is cassia, which contains far more coumarin…
Syzygium aromaticum
The dried flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, one of the most aromatic spices in common use. The USDA entry is per 100 g of…
Coffea arabica / Coffea canephora
The brewed infusion of roasted, ground Coffea seeds, and the largest single source of polyphenols in many national diets simply…
Phoenix dactylifera
The dried fruit of the date palm, around two-thirds to three-quarters sugar by weight, and used both as a fruit and as a…
Anethum graveolens
The feathery leaf of Anethum graveolens, used fresh with fish, cucumber and cultured dairy; the seed is a separate spice with a…
Corylus avellana
The round nut of the hazel shrub, mostly grown in Turkey and Italy and largely destined for confectionery. The USDA reference…
Hibiscus sabdariffa
A tart, deep red infusion of dried Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces, drunk hot or cold and containing no caffeine. It is one of the…
Mangifera indica
A tropical stone fruit in the cashew family, with hundreds of cultivars differing sharply in fibre, sweetness and aroma. Eaten…
Citrus x sinensis
The sweet orange, a hybrid citrus grown commercially on every inhabited continent. Most of the world crop is pressed for juice…
Origanum vulgare
The dried leaf of Origanum vulgare, dominated by the phenols carvacrol and thymol. The USDA entry is per 100 g of dried leaf,…
Petroselinum crispum
A biennial Apiaceae herb eaten fresh in quantity in dishes such as tabbouleh and used as a garnish elsewhere. It is unusually…
Prunus persica
A summer stone fruit of the Rosaceae family, with fuzzy skin and a single hard pit. Nectarines are the same species differing by…
Carya illinoinensis
A hickory nut native to North America, close relative of the walnut and similarly rich in unsaturated fat. The USDA reference…
Mentha × piperita
A natural hybrid of watermint and spearmint, grown for its high menthol content and used fresh, dried or as an essential oil. The…
Pistacia vera
The green seed of a small desert tree, usually sold roasted in a split shell. The USDA reference entry is for the raw kernel…
Punica granatum
A thick-skinned fruit filled with hundreds of juice-filled arils, each containing a seed. Commercial juice is usually pressed…
Vitis vinifera
The fruit of the common grapevine, eaten fresh, dried as raisins or fermented into wine. Red and black varieties carry…
Salvia rosmarinus
A woody Mediterranean shrub whose needle-like leaves are used fresh or dried. Rosemary extract is also used industrially as a…
Salvia officinalis
The grey-green leaf of Salvia officinalis, used fresh or dried and traditionally paired with fatty meats. The USDA entry is per…
Sorghum bicolor
A drought-tolerant cereal eaten whole, milled into flour or popped, and free of gluten. The USDA reference entry is for the dry…
Fragaria x ananassa
The aggregate fruit of a low-growing Rosaceae plant, with the seeds carried on the outside. Sold fresh year-round and frozen,…
Prunus cerasus
The sour cherry species, distinct from sweet cherries and grown largely for juice, concentrate and processing. Montmorency is the…
Thymus vulgaris
A small-leaved Mediterranean subshrub used fresh or dried, and one of the few herbs that stands up to long cooking. Its…
Solanum lycopersicum
The fruit of a nightshade plant, used culinarily as a vegetable. Its red colour comes from lycopene, which becomes considerably…
Curcuma longa
The dried, ground rhizome of Curcuma longa, and the yellow base of most curry powders. The USDA entry is per 100 g of the dried…
Juglans regia
The wrinkled kernel of the walnut tree, unusual among common nuts for being dominated by polyunsaturated rather than…
Recorded in this food without a dependable quantity attached to it.
Asparagus officinalis
The young shoots of a perennial lily relative, harvested in spring. White asparagus is the same plant grown covered so the spears…
Persea americana
A large single-seeded berry with dense, oily flesh, unusual among fruits for being mostly fat rather than carbohydrate. It ripens…
Musa acuminata
The fruit of a large tropical herb, harvested green and ripened after picking. Ripening converts most of its starch into sugars,…
Hordeum vulgare
A cereal grain sold either hulled, with the bran intact, or pearled, with the bran abraded away. The USDA reference entry is for…
Beta vulgaris
The swollen taproot of a cultivated Beta vulgaris, deep red from betalain pigments. It is among the richest dietary sources of…
Capsicum annuum
Non-pungent cultivars of Capsicum annuum, harvested green or left to ripen to red, yellow or orange. Ripening changes their…
Piper nigrum
The dried unripe fruit of the Piper nigrum vine, used whole or ground. The USDA entry is per 100 g of ground pepper, whereas a…
Bertholletia excelsa
Large seeds harvested from wild Amazonian trees, notable for concentrating selenium from the soil to a degree no other common…
Oryza sativa
Rice with the bran and germ left intact, removing only the inedible hull. The USDA reference entry is for raw grain, and rice…
Brassica oleracea var. capitata
A dense-headed Brassica oleracea cultivar, eaten raw, cooked or fermented. Red varieties carry anthocyanins that change colour…
Elettaria cardamomum
The dried seed pods of Elettaria cardamomum, used whole or as ground seed in baking, curries and coffee. The USDA entry is per…
Daucus carota subsp. sativus
The taproot of a cultivated umbellifer, orange in most modern varieties because of selective breeding for carotene. Purple,…
Anacardium occidentale
The kidney-shaped seed that grows beneath the cashew apple, always sold shelled and heat-treated because the shell contains…
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
A cultivated Brassica oleracea grown for its dense head of undeveloped flower buds. Its mild flavour and low carbohydrate content…
Capsicum annuum
Dried ground fruit of hot Capsicum annuum varieties. The USDA entry is per 100 g of the dried spice; a shake over a dish is well…
Apium graveolens
The fibrous leaf stalks of a cultivated umbellifer, eaten raw or used as an aromatic base in cooking. It is mostly water by…
Matricaria chamomilla
An infusion of dried Matricaria chamomilla flower heads, containing no caffeine and no tea leaf. Most clinical research on…
Salvia hispanica
Tiny seeds from a Mexican member of the mint family that form a thick gel when hydrated, because of soluble mucilage in the seed…
Cicer arietinum
A pulse eaten whole, ground into gram flour, or blended into hummus, with the large kabuli and small desi types differing in seed…
Coriandrum sativum
The dried fruit of Coriandrum sativum, the same plant whose leaves are sold as cilantro, though the seed tastes citrusy and warm…
Cuminum cyminum
The dried seed of Cuminum cyminum, used whole or ground across South Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American cooking. The USDA…
Trigonella foenum-graecum
The hard, bitter seed of a legume-family plant, used whole, ground or sprouted, and responsible for the smell most people…
Zingiber officinale
The rhizome of Zingiber officinale, used fresh, dried and ground, or pickled. Fresh and dried ginger are not interchangeable in…
Citrus x paradisi
A large, bitter-sweet citrus fruit, a hybrid of pomelo and sweet orange. Pink and red varieties owe their colour to lycopene,…
Pisum sativum
Immature seeds of the pea plant, eaten fresh or frozen while still sweet and starchy rather than dried. Unlike the dried pulses…
Concentrated floral nectar processed and dehydrated by honeybees, composed overwhelmingly of fructose and glucose with small…
Actinidia deliciosa
A fuzzy-skinned berry from a woody vine, with green or golden flesh and small edible black seeds. It contains actinidin, a…
Citrus limon
A highly acidic citrus fruit used mainly for its juice and zest rather than eaten whole. Citric acid makes up a large share of…
Lens culinaris
Flat pulses sold whole or split, and the only common legume that cooks from dry without soaking. The USDA reference entry is for…
Acer saccharum
Sap from sugar maple and related species boiled down roughly forty-fold until it is about two-thirds sugar, predominantly…
Panicum miliaceum
A group of small-seeded, drought-tolerant cereals staple across the Sahel and South Asia, sold hulled and cooked like rice or…
Myristica fragrans
The seed kernel of Myristica fragrans; mace is the lacy red aril around the same seed. The USDA entry is per 100 g of ground…
Carica papaya
A soft tropical fruit with orange or red flesh and black seeds, eaten ripe as fruit and green as a vegetable. Its latex contains…
Capsicum annuum
Ground dried Capsicum annuum peppers, ranging from sweet to hot and sometimes smoked over oak. The USDA entry is per 100 g of the…
Arachis hypogaea
Botanically a legume that ripens underground, not a tree nut, though its fat content and culinary use put it with the nuts. The…
Mentha × piperita
An infusion of dried or fresh peppermint leaf, containing no caffeine and no tea leaf. USDA does not publish a…
Ananas comosus
A tropical bromeliad whose edible fruit is formed from many fused berries around a fibrous core. Notable for bromelain, a group…
Cucurbita pepo
The hulled green kernels of certain pumpkin and squash varieties, eaten raw or roasted. The USDA reference entry is for the dried…
Chenopodium quinoa
A pseudocereal seed from a plant related to spinach and beet, cooked and used as a grain. The USDA reference entry is for the…
Secale cereale
A cold-hardy cereal grain used mainly for dense breads and crispbreads in northern and eastern Europe. The USDA reference entry…
Crocus sativus
The dried stigmas of the Crocus sativus flower, harvested by hand and the most expensive spice by weight. The USDA entry is per…
Sesamum indicum
Oil pressed from sesame seeds, sold either as a light-coloured neutral cooking oil or as the dark, strongly flavoured oil pressed…
Lentinula edodes
A cultivated wood-decay fungus native to East Asia, sold fresh and dried. Drying concentrates its flavour compounds and is how…
Helianthus annuus
The hulled kernels of the sunflower, one of the densest common food sources of vitamin E. The USDA reference entry is for the…
Citrullus lanatus
A large cucurbit fruit that is over nine-tenths water by weight, with red flesh coloured by lycopene. The rind and the flesh both…
Agaricus bisporus
The most widely cultivated mushroom in the world, sold at several stages of maturity under different names. White button, cremini…
Triticum aestivum
The entire wheat kernel — bran, germ and endosperm — either milled into wholemeal flour or cooked whole as berries. The USDA…
Detected only in small amounts.
Persea americana
Oil pressed from the flesh rather than the seed of the avocado, dominated by monounsaturated fat and stable at high cooking…
Cocos nucifera
Fat extracted from coconut flesh, solid below about 24 degrees Celsius and dominated by saturated fatty acids, principally lauric…
Macadamia integrifolia
A hard-shelled Australian nut with the highest fat content of any common nut, dominated by monounsaturated fat including the…