Antioxidant Fruits
Which Do You Like Best?

And it’s the summer months that I like the best with an abundance of healthy fruits like raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, kiwi fruit, figs and paw paw on offer.

Talk about antioxidant treats -- Yum!

And you can eat them as is or make up a great smoothie.

Here are just a few of the top antioxidant rich fruits that rank high in terms of ORAC values that you might like to include in your diet.

Remember, variety is the spice of life so don’t just go for one; include a variety and whenever possible choose organic produce.

Top Antioxidant Fruits

Raspberries

Raspberries are a sweet, healthy treat that rank extremely high in terms of ORAC values -- 100 grams of raspberries have an ORAC score of 4900 -- making them a top antioxidant fruit.

They contain significant amounts of polyphenol antioxidants such as ellagic acid, quercetin, gallic acid, anthocyanins, cyanidins, catechins and salicylic acid which are thought to have health protecting benefits against conditions such as inflammation, pain, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, allergies and other age related conditions.

Raspberries are a particularly rich source of Vitamin C and manganese and have one of the highest fiber contents known among plant foods. Raspberries also contain considerable amounts of vitamins B 1-3, folic acid, magnesium, copper and iron.

Blueberries

Blueberries are another top antioxidant fruit rating high on the ORAC scale, with wild blueberries scoring 9000 ORAC units.

Blueberries contain anthocyanins, phytochemicals and other antioxidant pigments. They also have high levels of manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C and K as well as dietary fiber. Some varieties of blueberries contain significant levels of resveratrol, a phytochemical, in their skins like the red grape.

Research shows blueberry anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, resveratrol, flavonols and tannins may inhibit cancer cell development and inflammation while other reports suggest blueberries may also alleviate the cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s and other conditions associated with aging.

Pomegranates

Pomegranates are another one of the healthy fruits containing punicalagins -- shown to have free radical scavenging properties in laboratory experiments -- and ellagic acid.

Pomegranates are a good source of vitamin C and B5, potassium and antioxidant polyphenols. The ORAC score of 100 grams of pomegranate juice is 2,860 units, one of the highest for fruit juices.

Research suggests that pomegranates may be beneficial for artherosclerosis, heart disease, osteoarthritis and prostate cancer.

Blackberries

The antioxidant strength of blackberries makes it another top antioxidant fruit, with an ORAC value of 5347 per 100 grams. Blackberries contain ellagic acid, tannins, quercetin, gallic acid, anthocyanins and cyanidins.

They are high in dietary fibre, vitamin C and K, folic acid and manganese.

The seeds of blackberries are rich in omega-3 and 6 fats, protein, dietary fiber, carotenoids and ellagic acid.

Cranberries

Cranberries are a good source of polyphenol antioxidants thought to be instrumental in combating oxidative stress, a process associated with cardiovascular diseases and other neurodegenerative diseases.

And let’s not forget:

Acai Berries which is also known as “Natures energy fruit”.

Strawberries which are a rich source of quercetin (shown to protect colon, breast, ovarian and gastrointestinal cells against cancer growth), ellagic acid and anthocyanins.

Goji Berries, the ‘red diamond’ of Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 2000 years which contains carotenoid antioxidants, zeaxanthin, beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, cryptoxanthin and xanthophyll.

Coffee Berry or coffee fruit which contains antioxidant polyphenols, chlorogenic, caffeic and ferulic acid.


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