Acai berries? Blueberries may be nearly as effective

By Mark Goodman

1. Blueberries

You might already be aware of blueberries' high antioxidant content, but surprisingly many people are not. Easy to find at most any grocery store or market, blueberries are one of the easiest and most effective ways to increase your antioxidant intake naturally without pills. The ORAC rating of one cup blueberries is very high at 9019.[1] If you can afford to, eating one cup a day is an excellent way to supplement your diet.

2. Blackberries

Blackberries are also quite common, though they can be slightly harder to find than blueberries. Typically you will find blackberries in a mix of other berries such as blueberries and raspberries. Their ORAC rating is slightly lower than that of blueberries at 7701 per one cup serving.[1]

3. Cherries

Probably the most common antioxidant-rich fruit. Cherries are known and loved by many for their taste, but many who eat them are probably unaware of their high antioxidant content. One cup of sweet cherries has an ORAC rating of 4873.[1] Next time you eat a bowl of cherries, knowing that they are protecting your body against free radical damage will surely make them taste much sweeter!

4. Wolfberries

Wolfberries, also known as goji berries are relatively unknown in North America, but the opposite is the case in China. The Chinese have been eating wolfberries for centuries. They have probably realized the health benefits of wolfberries longer than North Americans have known how good blueberries taste. While it's hard to track down an ORAC rating for wolfberries which hasn't been skewed by commercial interests, it's probably safe to assume the value is somewhere near or slightly greater than that of blueberries.

5. Acai berries

Made popular recently by Oprah and internet marketers everywhere, acai is another berry which is high in antioxidants. As with wolfberries, to ORAC value of acai berries has not been confirmed by an independent study, it would probably be safe to assume their antioxidant value lies somewhere equal to or above that of blueberries. They do taste good and the juice has a semi-sweet flavor which even tastes like it's good for you. Considering how long they have been cultivated an eaten in South America, they must have some merit besides flavor.

6. Noni berries

You might be most familiar with noni in juice form. It's common to see noni juice all over health food stores, but the berries themselves are rather difficult to find. While the noni berry is high in antioxidants, what you may not know is that the ORAC rating for them is less than the rating for oranges.[2] I've included noni in this list to make people aware that the common blueberry most likely has more antioxidants than the noni berry.

When thinking about how healthy a berry or fruit might be for you, it would be wise to also consider and research the concentrations of phytochemicals, flavonoids and xanthones. Probably the best decision would be to consume a variety of berries and fruits so you receive all the benefits. Some berries and fruits might even have synergistic effects when eaten together.

Reference:

1. Nutrient Data Laboratory, Agriculture Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods - 2007.

2. Nutrient composition of the blended Noni Juice, a PDF file located on-line at http://ec.europa.eu/food/fs/sc/scf/out151_en.pdf - 17274

About the Author:

As a nutrition expert, Mark Goodman has taken note of the increase in popularity of acai berries. Contact Mark if you need any more information about acai at all.