What is "Oxygen Radical Absorption" or ORAC value of food?
USDA recommendationThe USDA website recommends a daily antioxidant intake range of 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity). However recents studies have suggested that more active lifestyles require higher levels of antioxidants.Research now indicates that if we obtain on a daily basis at least 5,000 ORAC our bodies in most cases will be able to fight off the damaging effects of free radicals.
"Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity" (ORAC) is the current standard for testing and measuring the antioxidant properties of various foods. It is a measure of the amount of free radicals that can be neutralized by a certain mass of a food substance (usually cited as "per gram" or "per 100 grams" of the food substance). The ORAC value rates the capacity of the substance to prevent oxidation, i.e. its effectiveness as an antioxidant. It might help to compare the oxidation of molecules in our body to the oxidation of iron in an automobile - which we call "rusting". Oxidized or "rusted" iron becomes brittle and weak, and eventually breaks down into a reddish-brown dust known as iron oxide. You could say that our bodies are "rusting out" from oxidation by free radicals! Ashes to ashes, and rust to dust!
ORAC score of different foodHere is a comparison of the ORAC score per 100 grams for some common foods known to have a high antioxidant level.Unprocessed Raw Cacao - 28,000 Acai Berries* -18,500 Dark Chocolate - 13,120 Milk Chocolate - 6,740 Raisins - 2,830 Blue/blackberries - 2,400/2,036 Garlic - 1,939 Tahitian Noni Juice - 1,506 Raw Spinach - 1,260 Steamed Spinach - 909 Avocado - 782 Oranges - 750 Kidney Beans - 460 Potato - 300 Banana - 210 Apple – 207 Carrot - 200 (*ORAC for Acai as determined by Brunswick Laboratories, USA.) That makes cocoa one of the richest sources of antioxidants in any food! Free radicals and antioxidantsFree radicals are molecules that are missing one or more electrons and are therefore chemically imbalanced with a positive electrical charge.They are created in several kinds of chemical reactions which take place in our bodies, such as when we burn energy by working our muscles. To balance their charge, these radical molecules will seek to attract or "steal" electrons from other molecules - including the molecules which make up the DNA in your body's cells which is the blueprint for producing new cells, and the mitochondria in your cells which create the energy to sustain the cells. Cells with damaged mitochondria are weak and have lower energy and less resistance to disease. When the DNA of a cell is damaged by the action of free radicals, the result is the creation of imperfect new cells - or even malignant new cells which form tumors and cancers. The antioxidants provided by dark chocolate are not able to be absorbed when dairy products are added to make milk chocolate. White chocolate is made from ‘cocoa butter’ and has no antioxidant properties.
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