(Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity)
Antioxidants are vital for the growth and development of health; they are typically found in high amount in foods and vegetables. When we say that this fruit or vegetable is rich in Antioxidants it indicates that there must be some way to measure the level of antioxidants in those fruits of vegetables. The method for the antioxidants measurement is ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity)
ORAC is the toll used for measuring the level of antioxidants in food, the higher the value of ORAC is the higher the chances of that food is to fight against diseases and destroy the free radicals. Foods with high ORAC value are capable of protecting cells from damage caused by oxidation. The ORAC method was developed by a physician chemist Dr. Guohua Cao at the University of Tuffs in Oklahoma. ORAC value is also known as ORAC score. The ORAC value is measured in terms of the number oxygen radicals a food can absorb, the more a food can absorb oxygen radicals the more is ORAC value or ORAC score.
The high value ORAC foods come with many health benefits. The ORAC food can slows down the aging effects and makes you look fresh and younger. This is because of the power of ORAC food for the middle aged people to fight better against diseases. The most important role of ORAC foods is to fight against free radicals; free radicals damage and breakdowns the body cells. The high ORAC food prevents the body cells to be damaged by these free radicals. The ORAC foods also assist in lowering the risk of cancer and heart diseases. ORAC value foods can save you time and money to spend on doctors.
There are many foods which are rich in antioxidants and have a high ORAC value. The Acai berry fruit is claimed to be a fruit with high ORAC value. This ORAC food fights well against diseases, lowers the cholesterol level, boosts the energy level and improves the immune system. The consumption of some other foods with high ORAC value improves the antioxidants ability of human blood, prevents lost of memory, and protects vessels from being damaged. These high ORAC foods include blueberries, spinach and strawberries. ORAC foods promote good vision, maintain proper sugar level and maintain fresh skin.
Medical experts have spent a lot of time on how much units of ORAC value one should intake daily to build up the capacity of fight well against diseases. ORAC food experts recommend a daily intake of 3000-5000 per unit of ORAC value and less units overtime will affect the body power to resists against various diseases. You can simply pick seven fruit with high ORAC value and can consume around 6000 units per day. The high ORAC value foods can be recognized by their bright colors. Some of the top antioxidants with highest ORAC value per 100 grams are unprocessed cocoa powder with an ORAC value of 26000 and Acai berry with 18,500 ORAC value.
There many antioxidants product available in the market as supplements, drinks, capsules and pills many few of them are tested to provide the required amount of antioxidants and with less ORAC value. High ORAC value fruits and vegetables are the best source of antioxidants.
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orac