How To Painlessly Pass A Primary Care Dietary Screening with Flying Colors...

 

Every year when I go in for my annual primary care visit – they give me the 2-item test for fruit and vegetable consumption.  It asks for an estimate of how many servings of fruit and vegetables are consumed every day. I can’t recall the breakpoints my health plan uses but the scale runs from zero servings per day up to ≥ 5.  If you research these screenings, some studies will use half measures (like 2.5 servings if consumption varies between 2 or 3).  Other studies will get very specific about what constitutes a serving.  That can vary from “one small apple” to “one cup of apples” to “a baseball sized portion.”.  My goal with this post is to illustrate how you can pass this screen by eating one complicated but easy to make salad a day.  I will also illustrate how to record recipes easily using a system invented by an engineer.

I have to add the usual disclaimers that I am not advising you to make and eat this salad like I do – only showing what is possible for educational purposes. If you are a vegetarian for example, I expect that you would easily exceed the upper end of the scale.  There are two additional advantages to the salad I eat almost every day – first it is designed to be palatable for people like me who generally do not like the taste of vegetables.  Second, it minimizes spoilage. The only ingredient susceptible is tri-color slaw and carrots and they are usually consumed by the expiration date on the bag.  The other ingredients are either frozen (berries) or have a long shelf life (apples). 

I stopped trying to use lettuce of any type because it often spoiled before the expiration date.  The paternal side of my family were cabbage (and potato) eaters from central Europe.  It took me a while to figure out why – but then it dawned on me – they could preserve barrels of cabbage as sauerkraut and not need any refrigeration.  Cabbage also has endogenous antioxidants and that is also probably why it lasts longer than lettuce.   Sauerkraut also fundamentally changes the taste of cabbage, leading me to think that many of those relatives may have had the same aversion to vegetables that I do.  As an example, I remember my father eating overcooked boiled potatoes as his main vegetable staple while the rest of us were supposed to be eating a broader selection.

There is a taste receptor specific and non-specific genetic component to taste and it has been studied for both vegetables and food-liking or food fussiness.  Cabbage makes the list in several categories.

 

Gene / variant	What it detects	Functional effect	Consequence for vegetables / diet
TAS2R38 — PAV ("taster")	Glucosinolates/isothiocyanates in Brassica (broccoli, sprouts, cabbage, kale); PROP/PTC	High bitter sensitivity; more PAV mRNA expressed in taste cells correlates with stronger perceived bitterness	Greater bitterness → vegetable avoidance; may shift toward sweeter/fattier foods; "tasters" decreased vegetable intake under minimal dietary counseling
TAS2R38 — AVI ("non-taster")	Same compounds	Low/absent bitter perception	Less aversion; largest increases in vegetable intake with intervention
TAS2R38 — heterozygote (PAV/AVI)	Same compounds	Intermediate sensitivity, widest perceptual range	Variable acceptance; intermediate vegetable intake response
TAS2R16	Bitter β-glucosides (broad glycoside ligands)	Two-faced binding pocket giving high specificity across diverse glycosides	Modulates perception of bitter plant glycosides, contributing to bitter-food preference
TAS2R19	Bitter glycosides (e.g., in grapefruit, other plant foods)	Clusters genetically with bitter-food liking traits	Associated with liking of bitter vegetables/foods
Multiple TAS2R loci (GWAS)	Various bitter compounds	Polygenic influence on bitter-taste pathways	Collectively shape bitter-food preferences and metabolic/sensory pathways
Food-fussiness / food-liking heritability	Not receptor-specific	~50% heritable; genetic correlation ~−0.65 between fussiness and vegetable liking	Some children genetically predisposed to reject vegetables independent of a single gene
1:  A Review of the Associations Between Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Taste Receptors, Eating Behaviors, and Health. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27247080 2:  Bitter Taste of Brassica Vegetables: The Role of Genetic Factors, Receptors, Isothiocyanates, Glucosinolates, and Flavor Context. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28718657   3:  Human Bitter Perception Correlates With Bitter Receptor Messenger RNA Expression in Taste Cells.        The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24025627 4:  TAS2R38 Predisposition to Bitter Taste Associated With Differential Changes in Vegetable Intake in Response to a Community-Based Dietary Intervention. G3. 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29686110 5:  A Review of the Associations Between Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Taste Receptors, Eating Behaviors, and Health. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27247080 6:  Human Bitter Perception Correlates With Bitter Receptor Messenger RNA Expression in Taste Cells. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24025627 7:  TAS2R38 Predisposition to Bitter Taste Associated With Differential Changes in Vegetable Intake in Response to a Community-Based Dietary Intervention. G3. 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29686110 8:  Human Bitter Perception Correlates With Bitter Receptor Messenger RNA Expression in Taste Cells. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24025627 9:  TAS2R38 Predisposition to Bitter Taste Associated With Differential Changes in Vegetable Intake in Response to a Community-Based Dietary Intervention. G3. 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29686110 10: The Bitter Taste Receptor TAS2R16 Achieves High Specificity and Accommodates Diverse Glycoside Ligands by using a Two-faced Binding Pocket. Scientific Reports. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-07256-y 11: Genome-Wide Association Analyses of Bitter Food Preferences Link Genetic Loci to Sensory and Metabolic Pathways. The Journal of Nutrition. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42632617 12: A biologically informed framework for instrument selection in dietary Mendelian randomization using chemosensory genetics. BMC Medicine. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-04966-x 13: Genome-Wide Association Analyses of Bitter Food Preferences Link Genetic Loci to Sensory and Metabolic Pathways. The Journal of Nutrition. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42632617 14:  A biologically informed framework for instrument selection in dietary Mendelian randomization using chemosensory genetics. BMC Medicine. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-04966-x 15:  Common Genetic Architecture Underlying Young Children's Food Fussiness and Liking for Vegetables and Fruit. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26864359 16:  Large-scale GWAS of food liking reveals genetic determinants and genetic correlations with distinct neurophysiological traits. Nature Communications. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30187-w

   

The implications of the above table seem fairly clear.  If you are one of these folks who prefers fats and sugars to vegetables it seems logical that disguising that taste would make these foods more palatable.  Salt, pepper, sugar and other condiments are commonly used as well as butter.  There are numerous forms of coleslaw made with this shredded slaw mix that add fat, vinegar, and sweetener.  Just a few years ago, I had my first salad with blueberries and that was an eye opener.  I typically use salad dressing to disguise the vegetable taste, but blueberries worked very well.  That is one of the driving forces for the salad I will reveal below.

The other driving force is also genetics.  Several years ago, I learned that I have a risk genotype for pancreatic cancer as well as being in the 100^th percentile for polygenic risk for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  I would like to try to avoid both of those illnesses if possible.  How and whether or not either of those genotypes get expressed is still a research question.  The answer can only be approximated by epidemiological studies and the results are conflicting.  In terms of exercise, it probably reduces cancer risk but the ALS risk is an open question.  Contact sports and in some cases high exertion athletics can increase risk.  In other cases, non-contact exercise at any level does not seem to have an impact.  Dietary effects on cancer and cardiovascular disease are more well known and the source of recommendations for non-processed fruits and vegetables.  In terms of ALS – higher premorbid intake of fat, trans fat, and cholesterol were higher in a group who developed ALS. Fruit and vegetable intake reduced the risk by 34%.  In a Mendelian randomization study (genotype risk concentration) oily fish, fresh fruit, coffee intake reduced the risk.  There is no definitive prevention path suggested by the studies done so far only the recommendation for larger intervention-based studies.  With current genotyping methods those studies can be done on a pool of subjects with concentrated ALS risk.

At any rate, general dietary guidelines suggest that fruits and vegetables are a critical component of the diet with certain other common components (high added sugar, high saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, alcohol) - red flagged.   The dietary landscape has been more confused than ever over the past 2 years based on political misinformation. Against that backdrop I present my personal solution (again not a recommendation to you or medical advice) that allows me to both pass my primary care physician’s fruit and vegetable screening and reassure myself that I can ingest a palatable meal that is probably good for my health.  The salad is also designed to be cost effective since one of the main concerns with fresh produce is how long it will last before it is discarded.

The blueberry salad that started all of this was mixed salad greens, blueberries, and a vinaigrette dressing.  I have not had much luck with mixed greens or even lettuce in my refrigerator.  They generally deteriorate well before the best by date and rapidly discolor.  I decided to substitute mixed slaw (red cabbage, green cabbage, carrots).  Apples last longer and I decided to add that to the mix.   The recipe is presented in graphic form below.  As you can see this is a combination of 3 vegetables and 4 fruits for a total of 7 per day – all in one bowl. 

 

 

That is my salad that I eat most days of the week.  I don't know if there is a gene that allows for eating the exact same food every day - but if it exists I definitely have it.  The cumulative number of fruits and vegetables at the end of the year is impressive and any spoilage is minimal.  A summary of the possible nutritional benefits is listed in the table below.   

Ingredient	Antioxidant capacity	Flavonoids	Dietary fiber	Characteristic phytochemicals
Blackberry	Very high (among highest cellular antioxidant activity of common fruits)	Rich in anthocyanins; flavonols (quercetin)	High (berries ~5–8 g/cup)	Anthocyanins, ellagitannins, hydroxycinnamic acids
Raspberry	Very high; anthocyanin-rich fruits show highest TEAC/FRAP/ORAC	Anthocyanins; quercetin	~8.0 g per cup	Anthocyanins (cyanidin), ellagitannins
Blueberry	Very high cellular antioxidant activity	Anthocyanins; notable seasonal variation in flavonoid content	High (berries)	Anthocyanins (delphinidin, malvidin, petunidin), chlorogenic acid
Red cabbage	Highest among cabbages/vegetables; highest TEAC of the vegetables tested	Highest cabbage flavonoid content (~108 mg catechin eq/100 g); cyanidin predominates	Moderate (cabbage, fermentable)	Anthocyanins (cyanidin), glucosinolates, kaempferol, quercetin
Yellow/green cabbage	Lower than red cabbage but still notable (flavonol-rich)	Kaempferol, quercetin, apigenin predominate (lower total than red)	Moderate (fermentable)	Glucosinolates/isothiocyanates, flavonols
Carrot	Lower than berries/red cabbage	Low flavonol content	~2.8 g/100 g (skin); 4.8 g/cup cooked	Carotenoids (β-carotene), galactose-rich pectin
Apple (with skin)	Lower (hydroxycinnamate-rich fruits lowest antioxidant activity), but a major dietary phenolic contributor	Lowest flavonol content among fruits tested (~460 mg/kg dry); quercetin concentrated in skin	~2.4 g/100 g; 4.4 g per medium apple	Chlorogenic acid, quercetin glycosides, procyanidins

---

References

1. Cellular Antioxidant Activity of Common Fruits. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2008.
2. Synergistic, Additive, and Antagonistic Effects of Food Mixtures on Total Antioxidant Capacities. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2011.
3. Flavonoid Content of U.S. Fruits, Vegetables, and Nuts. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2006.
4. The Antioxidant Activity of Regularly Consumed Fruit and Vegetables Reflects Their Phenolic and Vitamin C Composition. Free Radical Research. 2002.
5. Chronic Constipation in Adults. American Family Physician. 2022.
6. Antioxidant Properties of Raw and Processed Cabbages. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 2004.
7. Fibre: The Forgotten Carbohydrate in Sports Nutrition Recommendations. Sports Medicine. 2025.
8. Glucosinolates From Cruciferous Vegetables and Their Potential Role in Chronic Disease: Investigating the Preclinical and Clinical Evidence. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2021.
9. Does Vegetable Colour Matter? A Comparative Assessment of Bioactive Composition and Biological Properties. Food Chemistry. 2026.
10. Dichotomous effect of dietary fiber in pediatrics: a narrative review of the health benefits and tolerance of fiber. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2024.
11. Flavonols (Kaempeferol, Quercetin, Myricetin) Contents of Selected Fruits, Vegetables and Medicinal Plants. Food Chemistry. 2008.
12. Flavonoids: an overview. Journal of Nutritional Science. 2016. (Erratum: 2025).

 

The table illustrates this this salad adds fruit and vegetable components that are not generally available form other sources. It is complementary rather than complete nutrition because it lacks protein, several vitamins (B-6, B-12, D, E), minerals (Ca, I Zn, Fe, Se), fats and omega-3 FFA, and caloric density.  Some of these deficiencies can be made up by the additional components of the salad (olive oil in vinaigrette, additional nuts, etc). and additional food groups.  This salad is a niche player in the overall diet – but an important one in supplying necessary antioxidants, fiber, and phytochemicals that are not available elsewhere.  It is designed to avoid processed foods and food wasting.        

 

George Dawson, MD, DFAPA

 

Supplementary 1:   The graphic recipe display has two sources.  The first is the engineer Michael Chu's blog "Cooking for Engineers" who came up with the idea in the first place.  The second is the online site Recipe Tables where I was able to convert my recipe to graphic form.  The software named it Wyman’s Berry Salad based on the name of the frozen berries that I use. Any brand will do but I found these were the best prepared and do not require any additional preparation other than defrosting.  I typically use the defrost cycle in my microwave for 2-3 minutes depending on portion size.     

Supplementary 2:  While I am meteing out dietary advice I thought I would also include a place where you can get expert advice including advice that is designed to counter the current misinformation from the US Government.  

Dr. Jessica Knurick https://www.jessicaknurick.com/ An extremely articulate doctorate level nutritionist with both written and visual channels.  She has not only expert dietary advice that seems rare these days but also very good opinions about professional boundaries like the roles of physicians and dieticians and how our current healthcare system is respecting neither profession. 

Supplementary 3:   In the last table TEAC, FRAP, and ORAC are all antioxident assays. 

References:

1:  Goutman, S.A., Savelieff, M.G., Jang, DG. et al. The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis exposome: recent advances and future directions. Nat Rev Neurol 19, 617–634 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-023-00867-2

2:  Huisman MHB, Seelen M, van Doormaal PTC, et al. Effect of Presymptomatic Body Mass Index and Consumption of Fat and Alcohol on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. JAMA Neurol. 2015;72(10):1155–1162. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2015.1584

3:  Nieves JW, Gennings C, Factor-Litvak P, et al. Association Between Dietary Intake and Function in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. JAMA Neurol. 2016;73(12):1425–1432. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.3401

4:  Jing Z, Qi X, Teng J. Dietary factors and risk for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A two sample mendelian randomization study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2024 Jun 21;103(25):e38473. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000038473. PMID: 38905382; PMCID: PMC11191971.

5:  Chapman L, Cooper-Knock J, Shaw PJ. Physical activity as an exogenous risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a review of the evidence. Brain. 2023 May 2;146(5):1745-1757. doi: 10.1093/brain/awac470. PMID: 36918362; PMCID: PMC10151186.

6:  Westeneng HJ, van Veenhuijzen K, van der Spek RA, Peters S, Visser AE, van Rheenen W, Veldink JH, van den Berg LH. Associations between lifestyle and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis stratified by C9orf72 genotype: a longitudinal, population-based, case-control study. Lancet Neurol. 2021 May;20(5):373-384. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(21)00042-9. PMID: 33894192.

My Diet - A Work In Progress

 

The easy way to eat all your fruits and vegetables….

 

Diet is endlessly debated in the US.  The health and wellness industry is three times larger than the pharmaceutical business. Much of their focus is influencers telling you about what you should eat and what supplements to take. They don’t let science or conflict of interest get in their way. 

For most of my life – I did not eat correctly.  I ate carbohydrates; some fish but usually dairy based proteins and too much sugar sweetened foods.  I always rationalized it as a cultural or genetic distaste for vegetables and fruits were just too problematic to store.  I read all the papers on diet and the advantages of a well-balanced diet.  That led to some gradual improvements. 

About 40 years ago I stopped eating processed meat products like hot dogs, sausage, and pepperoni.  30 years ago, I stopped eating beef.  20 years ago, I started to cut sugar sweetened foods way back to reduce gout attacks and minimize body weight fluctuations between cycling and skating seasons. 15 years ago, I started to eat a salad every day that consisted of lettuce, olives, and matchstick carrots.  Then about 3 years ago, I was at a restaurant and had a blueberry burrata salad made with spring greens and decided that blueberries needed to be in all my salads.  For the past two years my typical salad consists of tri-color slaw, blueberries, a light raspberry vinaigrette, and croutons.  I ate about 120 lbs of blueberries last year. 

My main protein source consists of Greek yogurt, skim milk, and eggs.  I do eat chicken and fish when available.  The yogurt ranges from 15-25 g of protein per serving and I eat 3 servings per day.  For breakfast I eat yogurt mixed with a combination of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.  I am considering expanding the berry selection to black currants and strawberries.

I don’t need a lot of variation in my diet. I was in the Peace Corps and ate homemade French Fries every day and a grilled cheese sandwich. Powdered milk was an additional protein source. I still eat desserts now and then and sprinkle chocolate chips on my yogurt and call that dessert.  I eat large restaurant salads made with spring mix generally because of the storage problem with spring mix.  I also tend to eat beet salads that are popular in Minnesota restaurants. Cubed beets drenched in ice cold vinaigrette with spring mix is a fantastic salad.  The tri-color slaw lasts longer and I can generally expect to eat it all (5 servings) before it goes bad. I have had too much lettuce go bad in about 3 days and by the official expiration date it looks like a bag full of motor oil.  I regularly eat large bean (black, chili) burritos, nachos with beans, and just plain beans.  I drink 2 cups of coffee per day – not because I like it but for the antioxidants. It must be hazelnut flavored.

I decided to post this today because of two reasons.  I just got back from my annual checkups at the Mayo Clinic and had to answer their nutritional questionnaire twice.  One of the questions focused on combined vegetable and fruit consumption.  They defined serving size as a tennis ball sized volume of the fruit or vegetable and that is somewhat controversial.  Some have the opinion that the volume of a tennis ball is ½ cup and others think it is closer to 1 cup.  When I look at a measuring cup my portions are easily closer to the 1 cup size, although in the case of tri-color slaw (carrots, red cabbage, green cabbage) it gets complicated.  

On the Mayo survey – you can land on the 2-4 or 4-6 portions per day.  I tallied it up as red cabbage, green cabbage, carrots, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries or a total of 6 portions per day.  On their extended survey I got credit for low fat dairy consumption and eating nuts (cashews, pistachios, pecans, Brazil nuts, almonds, pine nuts, walnuts) – but lost credit for eating cookies (Animal Crackers, ginger snaps) nearly every day.  In the end I was rated as having a moderately good diet.

The second reason is to illustrate that you can overcome a bad diet gradually over time by finding something that you like. I always preferred carbohydrates as a calorie source but at some point – I came to the realization that even if potatoes were a healthy food – eating them deep fried or drenched in butter or in the case of sweet potatoes coated in brown sugar and butter probably did not add much nutritional value.  I have never been much of a meat eater.  The nuts and berries really broadened my horizons and markedly improved the taste of cabbage and leafy green vegetables. I have the advantage of being able to eat the exact same thing every day without the need for variation. I heard David Lynch describe this once.  He ate a chocolate malt and a grilled cheese sandwich every day for years. 

There are a couple of related current issues that are relevant.  Lately there is a lot in the media about processed foods. They are simply defined by having a lot of additives to enhance flavor or shelf life.  It is hard to avoid them, but the bulk of my diet has none. All the berries are frozen and the only ingredients are the frozen berries.  The Greek yogurt contains stevia – a natural sweetener but no artificial sweeteners. The slaw mix is only cabbage and carrots. The salad dressing contains the usual components.  I drink the occasional zero alcohol beer for additional antioxidants.  Although I do not have a specific antioxidant strategy – I am genetically loaded for a lethal neurodegenerative disease that I really hope to avoid (see Supplementary 2 below).  Like all these diseases oxidative stress is considered a potential mechanism so the antioxidants from this diet can’t hurt.

That is the diet I have come up with after decades of trial and error.  I am not recommending it to anyone else or suggesting that it will work for anyone but me.  It is not for anyone who needs a lot of variation in their diet.  You will also have a hard time keeping your teeth white.  The berries in this diet are one of the few things I have found that can stain Corelle dishware.  

In the end I have a moderately good diet according to Mayo and would never have guessed that I would land there. It took about 50 years to piece it together.

 

George Dawson, MD, DFAPA

 

References:

1:  The Mayo Clinic Diet Score (test your diet):  https://diet.mayoclinic.org/us/get-my-free-diet-score/

2:  Carlsen MH, Halvorsen BL, Holte K, Bøhn SK, Dragland S, Sampson L, Willey C, Senoo H, Umezono Y, Sanada C, Barikmo I, Berhe N, Willett WC, Phillips KM, Jacobs DR Jr, Blomhoff R. The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide. Nutr J. 2010 Jan 22;9:3. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-9-3. PMID: 20096093; PMCID: PMC2841576.

3:  The Antioxidant Food Table, Carlsen et al. 2010. the main results of the present study; the table includes all the 3139 products with product descriptions, details and antioxidant analysis results, categorized into 24 categories and arranged alphabetically within each category

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/instance/2841576/bin/1475-2891-9-3-S1.PDF

4:  Ejaz A, Waliat S, Afzaal M, Saeed F, Ahmad A, Din A, Ateeq H, Asghar A, Shah YA, Rafi A, Khan MR. Biological activities, therapeutic potential, and pharmacological aspects of blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum L): A comprehensive review. Food Sci Nutr. 2023 Aug 15;11(10):5799-5817. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.3592. PMID: 37823094; PMCID: PMC10563683.

5:  Singh M, Arseneault M, Sanderson T, Murthy V, Ramassamy C. Challenges for research on polyphenols from foods in Alzheimer's disease: bioavailability, metabolism, and cellular and molecular mechanisms. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Jul 9;56(13):4855-73. doi: 10.1021/jf0735073. Epub 2008 Jun 17. PMID: 18557624.

6:  Spreng S, Dawid C, Dunkel A, Hofmann T. Quantitation of Key Antioxidants and Their Contribution to the Oxidative Stability of Beer. J Agric Food Chem. 2024 Jul 24;72(29):16423-16437. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c01000. Epub 2024 Jul 15. PMID: 39010731; PMCID: PMC11273605.

Graphic Credit:

Click on photo to see photographer and CC license for use.  It is used as is with no modifications.

Supplementary 1:  I have attached a brief but selective table on the antioxidants in my diet. The antioxidant literature is interesting to an old chemist like me because the reported values depend on what food was analyzed, the extraction methods, what chemical group is analyzed, and the reporting methods.  As an example, on reporting the Antioxidant Content column below reports mmol/100g (from reference 3).  Many papers will report mg/100 g instead. 

The analysis in reference 2 was spectrophotometric based on the reduction of Fe³⁺TPTZ (2,4,6-tri-pyridyl-s-triazine) complex to Fe^2+--TPTZ complex that results in a blue solution that can be measured at 600 nM and the content estimated in mmol. The 100g is the amount of each sample extracted for this determination. That main limitation of this assay method is that it will not measure glutathione or other sulfhydryl groups due to the redox potentials, but some of these compounds can interact and lead to overestimates of the antioxidant content.   

The specific groups of antioxidants in column 2 are generally polyphenols with the capacity to transfer electrons and buffer what are known as Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) that cause oxidative stress.  Any one of the foods in the table can be searched and you probably will be able to find a specific paper about the antioxidant content ranging from basic (like the 20 foods with the highest antioxidant content) to highly technical papers on the redox (oxidation-reduction) equations and potentials of these compounds.

Food	Antioxidant Content mmol/100g (3/5)	Antioxidant Mix:  Anthocyanins, Flavonols, Flavone, Flavanones, Isoflavones, Catechins, Proanthocyanidins,  PP polyphenols
Red cabbage	0.8/ 2.153	F, Cat
Yellow cabbage	0.15	Kaempferol, quercetin, apigenin
Carrots	0.02	Kaempferol, quercetin, and apigenin, cyanidin
Beets	1.50	A
Peas	0.61	PP
Corn	0.20	PP, vitamin C
Blueberries	7.13/ 2.159	A, F, Pro
Blackberries	5.98/ 3.99	A, F, Pro
Raspberries	3.46/ 2.334	A, F, Pro
Strawberries	5.44/ 2.159	A, F, Pro
Black Currants		A, F, Pro
Walnuts	1.27/ 13.126
Cashews	0.66	cardanols, cardols, phytosterol, triacontanes, anacardic acid
Pecans	9.67	Tocopherols, PP
Pistachios	1.43	A, PP
Pine Nuts	0.77	Polyphenols, xanthenes, carotenoids, tocopherols
Brazil nuts	0.47	Se, vitamin E, PP
Almonds	0.26	caffeic acid, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid
Red Beans	0.33	Delphinidin, cyanidin, procyanidin, phenolic acids
Chili Beans	0.26	gallic acid, rutin
Coffee filtered	2.60	chlorogenic acids, caffeine, nicotinic acid, trigonelline, tocopherols, cafestol, kahweol
Chocolate chips 70%	10.74/ 4.188	Pro
Bakers Chocolate	10.47/ 4.188	Pro
Diet Pepsi	0.04	caffeine
Yogurt Greek Zero Fat	0.06	Bioactive peptides
Stevia	0.04	Stevia glycosides
Chicken	0.02	Selenium, niacin (vitamin B3), 2-oxo-imidazole-containing dipeptides (2-oxo-IDPs), vitamin E, carotenoids
Fish – Walleye	0.04	vitamin E, peptides, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, ubiquinones, and catalase
Eggs – Whole	0.06	ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, phosvitin, phospholipids, vitamin E, vitamin A, selenium, and carotenoids
Pizza/marinara sauce	0.88	Lycopene, PP
Potato	0.33	A, carotenoids. PP
Baked Sweet Potato	0.79	A, PP
Beer (zero alcohol)	0.10	hordatines A–C, saponarin, and quercetin-3-O-β-d-(6″-malonyl) glucoside

 

Supplementary 2: 

In the above post I described being at high risk for a neurodegenerative disease.  The following graphic is a polygenic risk analysis of my DNA that shows I am in the 100th percentile risk for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS - a fatal neurodegenerative disease.  There is no known treatment or cure and dietary factors play an uncertain role.  Environmental factors including diet are thought to be an important factor in all neurodegenerative diseases despite the clear biological components.