Super Antioxidants

Archive for the ‘ORAC Food List’ Category

Tufts University in conjunction with the USDA designed the ORAC ranking system. The system gives foods a ranking which measures their antioxidant capacity. There are other systems but this is the one the US government uses and appears to be the system accepted by researchers.

One of the disadvantages I find with this list is the foods are not of the same source. For example they measure Acai berries which have been freeze dried and they measure goji berries and blueberries as just berries. However for educational purposes this is close enough to give you the ranking for what you eat.

The USDA has determined that each individual should be eating foods or supplements with at least 3000 to 5000 ORAC units per day. As you can see on the list this would be rather easy to do.

Super Antioxidant Foods by ORAC Score

The score is for 100 grams. 1000mg equals 1 gram. Divide the ORAC score by 100 to get the score for a 1000mg dose. Another example: an apple weighs 130 grams multiplied by the apples one gram score equals the orac value for that apple. As you can see below just adding certain spices to foods and/or your supplement list can give you a great deal of antioxidant protection for a relatively low price. This list does not include any foods with less than a 1000 ORAC score. This is not to say do not eat the foods below 1000. All good food has nutrition the body needs. We need a wide variety to make sure we cover all the nutritional requirements the body needs to function at peak efficiency.

• Cloves ground 314,446
• Sumac raw bran 312,400
• Cinnamon ground 267,536
• Sorghum bran 240,000
• Oregano dried 200,129
• Acai berries freeze dried 161,400
• Turmeric ground 159,277
• Sorghum bran black bran 100,800
• Sumac grin raw 86,800
• Cocoa powder unsweetened 80,933
• Cumin seed 76,800
• Maqui berry concentrated powder 75,000
• Parsley dried 74,349
• Sorghum bran red 71,000
• Basil dried 67,553
• Baking Chocolate unsweetened 49,504
• Curry powder 48,504
• Sorghum grain 45,500
• Chocolate dutched powder 40,200
• Maqui juice 40,200
• Sage fresh 32,400
• Mustard seed yellow 29,257
• Ginger ground 28,811
• Pepper black 27,618
• Thyme fresh 27,426
• Marjoram fresh 27,297
• Goji Berries 25,300
• Rice bran 24,287
• Chili powder 23,636
• Sorghum grain black 21,900
• Dark Chocolate candy 20,823
• Flax hull 19,600
• Semisweet chocolate candy 18,053
• Pecans 17,940
• Paprika 17,919
• Chokeberry raw 16,062
• Tarragon fresh 15,542
• Ginger root raw 14,840
• Elderberries raw 14,697
• Sorghum grain red 14,000
• Peppermint fresh 13,978
• Oregano fresh 13,970
• Walnuts English 13,541
• Blueberries wild 9,828
• Hazelnuts filberts 9,645
• Cranberries raw 9,548
• Artichokes boiled 9,452
• Beans kidney red raw 8,459
• Beans pink raw 8,320
• Beans black raw 8,040
• Pistachios raw 7,983
• Currants black European 7,960
• Beans pinto raw 7,779
• Plums black diamond raw 7,581
• Lentils raw 7,282
• Agave dried 7,274
• Apples dried 6,681
• Garlic powder 6,665
• Artichokes raw 6,552
• Blueberries raw 6,552
• Plums dried 6,552
• Plums raw 6,259
• Lemon balm leaves raw 5,997
• Soybeans raw 5,764
• Onion powder 5,735
• Blackberries raw 5,347
• Garlic raw 5,346
• Cilantro raw 5,141
• Wine Cabernet Sauvignon 5,034
• Raspberries raw 4,882
• Basil fresh 4,805
• Almonds 4,454
• Dill weed fresh 4,392
• Apples red delicious 4,275
• Apple granny smith 3,898
• Strawberries raw 3,577
• Currants red raw 3,387
• Gooseberries raw 3,277
• Peanuts raw 3,166
• Cabbage red boiled 3,145
• Broccoli raw 3,083
• Raisin seedless 3.037
• Pears raw 2,941
• Blueberry juice 2,906
• Apple gala 2,828
• Cardamon powder 2,764
• Guava white 2,550
• Dates 2,387
• Broccoli cooked 2,386
• Lettuce red leaf raw 2,380
• Concord grape juice 2,377
• Pomegranate juice 2,341
• Chives raw 2,094
• Avocados raw 1,933
• Oranges navel 1,819
• Peaches 1,814
• Red grape juice 1,788
• Beets raw 1,767
• Radishes raw 1,736
• Popcorn air popped 1,743
• Onions Red raw 1,521
• Spinach raw 1,515
• Alfalfa sprouts 1,515
• Lettuce green leaf raw 1,447
• Bread 7 grain whole grain 1,421
• Grapes red raw 1,260
• Green tea brewed 1,253
• Olive oil extra virgin 1,150
• Grapes white or green raw 1,118
• Mangos 1,002