What Is ORAC And
Why Are ORAC Values Important?
ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity and ORAC values provide a way to measure the antioxidant power of a substance and its ability to absorb free radicals. The higher a substance measures on the ORAC scale the more antioxidant power the food or supplement contains. Free radicals cause a lot of damage to cells and are a major contributor to premature aging and disease, so being able to measure how effective a substance is in eliminating free radicals and oxidative stress is a huge benefit. If you don't understand what free radicals are and how detrimental they are to your health and aging, What is oxidative stress will give you more information.
Antioxidant Rich Foods
Nutritionists recommend consuming 5000 ORAC units daily and although it may sound like a lot, it depends on what food you are eating.Brightly colored fruits and vegetables generally rank high on the ORAC scale. Fresh blueberries for instance are equal to 2400 ORAC units per 100 grams. While strawberries and raspberries aren't quite that high, they are still well over 1000 units each. The bottom line is the more antioxidant rich foods you have in your diet to mop up the damage caused by free radicals translates into better health and wellbeing, as well as prevention against aging. ORAC values provide valuable information and make it easier to choose foods and supplements that are high in antioxidants to counteract stress and free radical damage. It also gives consumers a way to check and compare the effectiveness of antioxidant supplements on the market so they can make an informed choice, rather than listening to a lot of hype about a product.
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