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Whittle Your Waist & Improve Your Skin

Written by Bryce

pomegranate

While we all know that antioxidants are supposedly the miracle child of fruits and veggies that help keep our skin glowing, our metabolism in check, and better yet- they actually fight the signs of aging.  But most of us don’t know much about antioxidants really, and how to make them work for us. So, if you’re going to get down with some skin-saving antioxidants like those in pomegranates, goji berries, and dark chocolate you’re going to need to know about ORAC scores.

The ORAC score test was developed by a chemist named Dr. Guohua Cao to quantify all the antioxidants in foods since they can’t easily be measured seperately. The ORAC score test identifies the most important nutrients in foods, which is better, since often nutrient-combos have greater protective benefits than single nutrients by themselves.  The scores are based on 100 gram servings.

Different types of fruit and vegetables have different ORAC scores. The recommended “5-a-day” fruit and vegetable servings results in an ORAC score of about 1,700 units, falling far short of the ideal 5,000 ORAC units per day. You could pick seven fruits with a low ORAC level and achieve only 1,300 ORAC units, or seven with higher values and consume around 6,000 ORAC units.  Just one large handful of blueberries would give you an ORAC score of around 6,000 instantly.

Do a little thinking for a moment… What did you eat today?  Get a calculator out, and score yourself.  It’s safe to say that if you’re focused on eating high ORAC score foods, you’re probably eating healthier foods.  You’re better off eating berriers and veggies with garlic than a fast food hamburger, for example.

So reach for a handful of berries, drink a few cups of rooibos tea, and you’ll be well on your way to fighting free radicals!

Fruits ORAC Score Grams Needed to
Reach DRI
Goji Berries 25,300 20
Black Raspberries 7,700 65
Prunes 5,770 87
Bilberry 4,460 112
Pomegranates 3,307 151
Raisins 2,830 177
Blueberries 2,400 208
Red Raspberries 2,400 208
Blackberries 2,036 246
Strawberries 1,540 325
Noni Fruit 1,506 332
Plums 949 527
Oranges 750 667
Cherries 670 746
Red grapes 739 677
Pink grapefruit 495 1010
White grapefruit 460 1087
Apples 218 2294
Banana 210 2381
Pears 134 3731
Watermelon 100 5000
Vegetables ORAC Score Grams Needed to
Reach DRI
Garlic 1939 258
Spinach 1,770 282
Steamed spinach 909 550
Yellow squash 1,150 435
Brussels sprouts 980 510
Alfalfa sprouts 930 538
Broccoli 880 568
Broccoli flowers 890 562
Beets 840 595
Avocado 782 639
Red bell pepper 710 704
Baked beans 503 994
Onions 450 1111
Corn 400 1250
Peas, Frozen 375 1333
Eggplant 390 1282
Potato 300 1667
Sweet Potato 295 1695
Cabbage 295 1695
Cauliflower 385 1299
Carrot 210 2381
Tomato 195 2564
Cucumber 60 8333
Other ORAC Score Grams Needed to
Reach DRI
Dark Chocolate 13,120 38.1
Milk Chocolate 6,740 74.2
Rooibos tea (200ml) 750 133

About the author

Bryce

Bryce Gruber is a Manhattanite mom who can be found jet-setting off to every corner of the globe. She loves exotic places, being fully rested and writing for some of the world's most popular news outlets.