Your ORAC Score List for Enjoying Optimal Health Foods
By Dr. Brandy Rose Lipscomb
What is an ORAC Score and Top “Superfoods” and Herbs to Stock up on.
I was in virtual attendance at this year’s Spring Neurology conference hosted by the American Association of Restorative Medicine when a few slides caused me to stop and really take note.
Have you Ever Heard of an ORAC Score?
ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This term and scoring method was developed by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institute of Health (NIH). The data is based on the antioxidant capacity of food in vitro (test tube).
Theories are rampant in the medical literature about the causes of aging and treatments we can employ to slow down the process. One of those theories backed by substantial research is that free radical damage plays a major role in age-related degeneration and chronic disease. We make free radicals all the time – even by necessary and beneficial acts like breathing, we generate oxygen molecules with an unpaired and unstable electron. Other sources of free radical damage include air pollutants, fried foods, tobacco smoke, pesticides, and alcohol.
Hopefully, you are keeping the above list to a minimum. But some exposure to these harmful agents is unavoidable.
WE EAT, WE BREATHE, WE LIVE IN A WORLD WITH A LOT OF TOXINS.
Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, dementia, and Parkinson’s are better PREVENTED than they are treated. Reversing damage to neurons is really hard work. Most of our work is focused on preventing further damage to the brain cells. And one of the main ways we can do this is to protect the neurons from oxidative stress.
The brain is super vulnerable to these reactive oxygen species because of its high oxygen demand and high lipid (fat) content. Phospholipids make up the cell membranes of neurons and account for approximately 60% of the dry weight of the brain. The breakdown or injury of these phospholipids has been associated with schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder as well as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer's.
So What Can You Do To Protect Your Brain?
Consume more high-ORAC value foods and herbs! I was shocked to learn the following:
Lower ORAC Foods
Eggs 20
Watermelon 142
Zucchini Summer Squash with skin, raw 180
Cucumber, w peel 232
Bananas 260
Green Beans canned 290
White asparagus 296
Baby carrots raw 496
This does NOT mean that the foods above are “bad” foods, it means they don’t scavenge free radicals. They can still offer other health benefits!
Higher ORAC Foods:
Dragon’s blood 2,897,110
Astaxanthin from microalgae 2,822,200
Triphala powder 706,250
Clove spice 290,283
Amla berries 261,500
Oregano dried 175,295
Chaga mushroom 146,700
Acai berry 102,700
Cocoa powder 55,653
Ginger spice, ground 39,041
Finding ORAC Values Online
Interestingly, I found certain sources citing the Goji berry with an ORAC score of 22,000 and a blueberry at 7000……and then found other sources giving them both more modest scores around 2500.
And even more interesting, I could not find the ORAC values posted by the NIH or the USDA. I mostly found websites that were promoting certain products or selling their “superfoods” publishing the ORAC values. An explanation was found in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. They explained why the ORAC values of foods were pulled from the USDA website:
“ORAC values are routinely misused by food and dietary supplement manufacturing companies to promote their products and by consumers to guide their food and dietary supplement choices.”
“The data for antioxidant capacity of foods generated by in vitro (test-tube) methods cannot be extrapolated to in vivo(human) effects and the clinical trials to test benefits of dietary antioxidants have produced mixed results. We know now that antioxidant molecules in food have a wide range of functions, many of which are unrelated to the ability to absorb free radicals.”
The bottom line? More research needs to occur in this fascinating field of antioxidants and ORAC scoring.
Let the Spice Flow
And if you are questioning whether or not to make a Chai spice (tea, muffin, latte, shake, pancake, etc) – the answer is YES.
Add spices to your food with wild abandon! Your morning eggs should look like a rainbow of spices: paprika, oregano, turmeric, curry powder.
Drink a wide variety of herbal teas: peppermint, cinnamon, ginger, etc.
Make your own pesto using an assortment of fresh greens like spring nettles (if you blanch them in hot water for 10 seconds wearing gloves first), basil, parsley, cilantro, and even toss in a dandelion green or two.
Eat the rainbow at every meal! Use purple cabbage, dark berries, bright greens, deep oranges and reds. Treat yourself to at least one meal per day that is focused on incorporating the rainbow of colors.
And finish it off with a square of dark chocolate and a good cup of tea! ☺
If you’d like to learn more about how you can support your health with nutrition, Contact Dr. Lipscomb today!