Antinutritional factors are deleterious compounds present in a wide range of our foods interfering in the absorption and assimilation of nutrients in our gastrointestinal tract limiting the proper bioavailability of essential nutrients. Plant-derived foods generally have high antinutritional factors due to the presence of various secondary metabolites. In plants, these secondary metabolites serve various functions including defensive systems from herbivores. Most of the antinutrients are heat-labile antinutrients that are protein in nature and are deactivated or destroyed during our normal food cooking whereas there are heat-stable antinutrients that remain active even after cooking. Antinutrients like phytate, oxalate chelate, especially divalent cations like Ca, Mg, Fe, and Zn make essential micronutrients unavailable to our body. Various types of antinutritional factors have been discussed in the present article. And different approaches including traditional and scientific methods to reduce antinutritional factors are highlighted.