ORAC Values Chart – The Top Antioxidant Foods
We are constantly under siege with toxins in the air we breathe and in the foods we eat. It is more important than ever to get the most antioxidant “value” from choices we make for meals and snacks. The sad truth is that most food today lacks the antioxidant content that we need to have the best possible health. Due to the processing of food products and the prevalence of junk food in our culture, most people simply don’t have access to the antioxidant value they really need. That is why the acai superfood or like acai berry, can be so beneficial to those of us trying to improve the nutrient value of the diet we consume on a daily basis.
USDA – High ORAC Value in Acai Berry – Another Win for Acai Drinks
Another reason to start drinking acai drinks. One of the most important tests developed for the USDA is the ORAC scale. Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC) scale measures the total antioxidant activity of foods. It was developed for the USDA to measure the antioxidant speed and power of foods and supplements and is the standard for comparing antioxidant potential in foods and supplements. The higher the orac value the stronger the antioxidant properties of the food. As you can see in their data, acai berry is head and shoulders above the rest of the berry family. It is just one of the reasons acai berry is called acai superfood. So what does this high antioxidant score mean for your health?
Why Antioxidants?
Antioxidants are nutrients in foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. Why is this important? Damage to our DNA makes us vulnerable to every imaginable disease and accelerates aging. In everyday living, our DNA is damaged by free radicals produced as a byproduct of normal metabolism and by exposure to toxins. Even though our bodies are programmed to continually repair themselves, they can become overwhelmed by too many free radicals, especially as we age. This results in the early death of healthy cells, which may contribute to a variety of degenerative diseases and mutated cells that can lead to cancer – unless antioxidants counteract the onslaught.
Knowing which foods and supplements are shown to have these higher ORAC values can be a huge help in selecting supplements and meal plans to give you an advantage. Information on product packages or in advertising just doesn’t provide you with all of the information you need. Fortunately, there are some foods that can be relied upon to consistently deliver a high antioxidant level…such as acai drinks, acai smoothie or acai berry.
