The Acai berry and ORAC scoring

ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) is the measurement of the antioxidant levels in food. The greater the ORAC score, the greater the power of antioxidants in that food.

Foods that have high levels of antioxidants are believed to have more power in battling disease, as well as potentialy reducing the effects of aging has on our bodys.

When you eat high antioxidant (high ORAC scoring) foods then, you are enriching your body's ability to fight the everyday againg process. Further research is showing that a high antioxidant diet may have positive effects on improving memeory, strenghtening your brain cells and the connections between them. So overall, the greater the ORAC levels in your food, equates to increased benefits for you.

The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) suggests that to enjoy a healthy lifestyle, you should be taking a daily dosage from 3000 to 5000 ORAC units. This new statement actually suggests that the five-a-day (5 fruits and vegetables per day) belief doesn't go far enought.

Research shows that it is dark coloured berries contain the highest ORAC value, and are the best for you. Blueberries have for a long time been the prime example of a high ORAC fruit berry. One serving of Blueberries, with an ORAC score of 2400, supplies a bounty of healthy antioxidants.

However, lately a new fruit has overtaken the blueberry as the highest ORAC scoring berry, the Acai berry. The Acai berry has an ORAC score of 5500 per serving (this is for freeze-dried Acai powder - not extract) doing even better than our last ORAC hero. With freeze-dried Acai berry, 100 grams has an ORAC score of 35,000.

So if your goal is to enrich your body with high antioxidant foods, teh Acai berry should be one of those foods on your list - making certain that you use only the best quality freeze-dried variety.

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