Better-Than-Blueberries Fruit

When it comes to antioxidants, there's a certain fruit group that may be giving blueberries a run for their money. And you'd be "plum" foolish not to eat 'em.

Stone fruits -- specifically, certain varieties of plums and peaches -- may have antioxidant levels on par with those of the nutrient-packed berries.

Red Means More Greenbacks
That's particularly good news in these tough economic times, because stone fruits tend to be much less expensive than antioxidant-superstar blueberries. A recent study showed that red-fleshed plums and red-fleshed peaches generally contained equal-to-blueberry levels of phenolics and anthocyanins, two major disease-fighting antioxidants. (Yellow and white peaches and nectarines, on the other hand, did not quite match up.) Ask your grocer about antioxidant-rich red-flesh plum and peach varieties next time you're shopping. Here's another food that packs a bigger antioxidant punch when it comes in red.

The Disease-Fighting Connection
Antioxidants in certain peach and plum varieties also inhibited a certain type of breast cancer cell in a lab setting, and certain varieties of plums, peaches, and nectarines reduced LDL (bad cholesterol) oxidation, too. More good reasons to seek out pits. Check out another fruit loaded with cholesterol-lowering, cancer-fighting antioxidants.

Ever thought of adding fruit to a skewer? Give it a shot with this Shrimp & Plum Kebabs recipe from EatingWell.

Find out the unique health benefits of 12 different fruits in this picture gallery.

Health benefits of peach, nectarine and plums. Byrne, D. H. et al., presentation, International FAV Symposium, Houston, Texas. October 2007.