Antioxidants From Food – The Five Best Sources

Posted by Heartmind _Featured_, Food, Nutrition Thursday, August 30th, 2012

Cells need oxygen to metabolize minerals and vitamins to survive and thrive. When cells cannot use oxygen to metabolize, they resort to fermenting glucose for their energy.

That’s what cancer cells are about. That’s why anything that oxygenates cells works to cure cancer, and that’s why cancer patients should avoid sugar.

The paradox of cellular oxidation is that incompletely utilized oxygen can cause cellular damage. What happens is oxygen molecules can form free radicals when interacting with certain problematic molecules, such as heavy metals and toxins.

Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with unpaired or odd numbers of electrons that become reactive trouble makers, causing cellular and DNA damage.

This sudden rush of free radicals can start a chain reaction of damage to healthy cells causing them to function poorly or even die. A chain reaction of cellular oxidative stress in a particular organ can cause that organ to not function properly or become cancerous.

Fortunately, the body comes equipped with an antioxidant defense system. Antioxidants are molecules that can safely interact with free radicals and stop the chain reaction from continuing or even starting. There are many enzymes that can be part of an antioxidant defense system.

Five excellent food sources for antioxidants

The level of antioxidant capacity in a food is measured as Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC). ORAC values are measured per 100 grams of weight, or 3.5 ounces. Here are five high ORAC food types, which are best eaten fresh from organic sources.

Fruits and Berries: The Himalayan goji berry and tropical Acai berries rank highest with ORAC ratings of 25,000 and 18,000 units respectively. Blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, raspberries, pomegranates, and strawberries have high ORAC ratings.

Goji Berries

Almost any berry will provide a good amount of antioxidants. Cherries and apples are top ORAC providers also. Deeper colors indicate richer antioxidant bioflavonoid content.

Dried fruits rank high as well. Raisins (dried grapes) come in with a 10,000 unit ORAC rating with prunes close behind at 8,000.

Vegetables: Cooked veggies that have greens leading, especially spinach, kale, and broccoli. Artichokes have the highest ORAC rating, between 9,000 and 10,000. A surprise entry is the Russet potato.