Antioxidant Rich Diet
What are antioxidants?
Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in certain foods that can prevent or slow down damage to our body. When our cells use oxygen in daily existence, they naturally produce free oxygen radicals or by-products that can cause damage to our body at a microscopic level. Antioxidants act as "free radical scavengers", little free-roving garbage trucks that prevent and repair damage by neutralizing free radicals. Health problems such as cancer, heart disease, and adult-onset diabetes have been linked to oxidative damage. Antioxidants may also enhance immune defense and therefore lower the risk of certain diseases and conditions.
What is Oxidation?
Oxidation is a natural process that occurs around us all the time. Examples of oxidation are a cut up apple that turns brown when exposed to oxygen or metal that is rusting. When an apple turns brown, it’s going bad and when metal rusts, it becomes weak. This exact same process happens in your body. Just like turning brown or rusting, the cells, organs, and other parts of your body can be made weak by oxidation. This can lead to chronic conditions or diseases, like cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease.
What can I do to prevent oxidation damage to my body?
One way to stop oxidation is by consuming antioxidant rich superfoods. ORAC or Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity is a way to measure the number of oxygen radicals a specific food can absorb. The more oxygen radicals a food can absorb, the higher its ORAC score. The higher its ORAC score, the better it is at helping our bodies fight diseases. "How well does a certain food help my body fight diseases like cancer and heart disease?" The higher the ORAC, the more that particular food may help your body. Food may also be assessed for Polyphenol content. Polyphenols are plant-derived chemicals called phytochemicals. They are commonly found in plant products like tea and wine and rich in natural anti-oxidants and like the ORAC score, the higher the better.
The following chart indicates the ORAC ratings and phenolic content of the ingredients of many common foods. Many of these foods may be added inconspicuously to recipes or consumed plain with glee because of the richness of taste. Next time you have a bowl of cereal, toss in some dried cranberries and almonds. And definitely partake of the dark chocolate as a snack!
Food Name | Total ORAC | Total Phenolics
almonds | 45 | 4.2+/-0.8
apples (granny smith) | 39 | 3.4+/-0.4
black tea | 506 | 9.8mg/100ml
blueberry (cultivated) | 62 | 5.3+/-1.0
cashews | 20 | 2.7+/-0.4
cherries (sweet) | 34 | 3.4+/-0.4
chocolate (baking) | 1040 | 51.4
cranberry | 95 | 7.1+/-0.07
cucumber (with skin) | 1 | 0.3+/-0.1
green tea | 1686 | 216.7mg/100ml
hazelnuts | 96 | 8.4+/-2.2
honey | 3-17 | 0.04-0.8
mango | 10 | 2.7
oranges | 18 | 3.4+/-0.4
pecans | 179 | 20.2+/-1.0
pineapple | 8 | 1.7+/-0.5
pistachios | 80 | 16.6+/-1.2
raisins | 30 | 10.7+/-1.6
raspberry | 49 | 5.0+/-0.8
rhubarb | 37 | 13.2
rooibos tea | 725 | 30-40mg/100ml
strawberry | 36 | 3.7+/-0.8
walnuts | 135 | 15.6+/-4.1
watermelon | 1.4 | 0.6+/-0.1
Total ORAC or Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is expressed as micromoles of Trolox equivalents per gram. Total ORAC is the sum of hydrophilic (H-ORAC) and lipophilic (L-ORAC) ORAC values. Total Phenolics is expressed milligrams of gallic acid equivalents per gram, unless noted as mg/ml as in the case of teas.
