Acai berries face stiff competition
1. Blueberries
Blueberries are really a no-brainer if you're looking for a fruit high in antioxidants. A favorite pie ingredient of North American grandmothers. They are available at most any grocery store in the US and the cheapest of those on our list. I personally eat a bowl of them a day just because I enjoy the taste so much. The ORAC rating for one cup of cultivated blueberries has been listed at 9019.[1] The ORAC rating for one cup of wild blueberries is listed at 13427.[1]
2. Blackberries
Along with blueberries, blackberries are probably one of grandma's favorite pie ingredients. What grandma probably never realized was that blackberries are an excellent source of highly concentrated antioxidants. With an ORAC rating of 7701 per cup, blackberries are near the top of the list of antioxidant-rich berries.[1]
3. Cherries
Everyone's heard of cherries, those unmistakable sweet, shiny red berries. However not everyone realizes what a great source of antioxidants they are. Next time you dive into a cherry pie, you'll be happy to know it's helping to ward off free radicals. One cup of cherries has been determined to have an ORAC rating of 4873 which puts them a few steps below blueberries, but they're so tasty you'll probably end up eating twice as many anyway![1]
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
Acai berries are an antioxidant-rich fruit which had been relatively unknown outside South America until recently. Consumed for centuries in their native Brazil in ways similar to how blueberries are consumed in North America. Acai berries have been shown to have higher ORAC ratings than blueberries in numerous, yet conflicting studies. Many non-independent studies have listed their ORAC rating as being much higher than that of blueberries and even wolfberries. Until an official, independent study determines an ORAC rating it should be assumed the free radical scavenging capacity of acai berries is at least equal and perhaps slightly greater than that of blueberries.
6. Noni berries
More commonly known as Indian mulberries in their native region, noni berries are similar to acai and wolberries in the way they have been marketed as health and diet supplements. Sponsored studies have determined the ORAC rating to be leagues ahead of blueberries, blackberries and cherries, but an independent study determined their antioxidant value to be even less than that of oranges.[2]
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
Blueberries are really a no-brainer if you're looking for a fruit high in antioxidants. A favorite pie ingredient of North American grandmothers. They are available at most any grocery store in the US and the cheapest of those on our list. I personally eat a bowl of them a day just because I enjoy the taste so much. The ORAC rating for one cup of cultivated blueberries has been listed at 9019.[1] The ORAC rating for one cup of wild blueberries is listed at 13427.[1]
2. Blackberries
Along with blueberries, blackberries are probably one of grandma's favorite pie ingredients. What grandma probably never realized was that blackberries are an excellent source of highly concentrated antioxidants. With an ORAC rating of 7701 per cup, blackberries are near the top of the list of antioxidant-rich berries.[1]
3. Cherries
Everyone's heard of cherries, those unmistakable sweet, shiny red berries. However not everyone realizes what a great source of antioxidants they are. Next time you dive into a cherry pie, you'll be happy to know it's helping to ward off free radicals. One cup of cherries has been determined to have an ORAC rating of 4873 which puts them a few steps below blueberries, but they're so tasty you'll probably end up eating twice as many anyway![1]
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
Acai berries are an antioxidant-rich fruit which had been relatively unknown outside South America until recently. Consumed for centuries in their native Brazil in ways similar to how blueberries are consumed in North America. Acai berries have been shown to have higher ORAC ratings than blueberries in numerous, yet conflicting studies. Many non-independent studies have listed their ORAC rating as being much higher than that of blueberries and even wolfberries. Until an official, independent study determines an ORAC rating it should be assumed the free radical scavenging capacity of acai berries is at least equal and perhaps slightly greater than that of blueberries.
6. Noni berries
More commonly known as Indian mulberries in their native region, noni berries are similar to acai and wolberries in the way they have been marketed as health and diet supplements. Sponsored studies have determined the ORAC rating to be leagues ahead of blueberries, blackberries and cherries, but an independent study determined their antioxidant value to be even less than that of oranges.[2]
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:
Mark Goodman is a nutrition expert who has been following the recent popularity explosion of acai berries. Contact Mark if you need any more information about acai berry scams.
posted by X - Men at
4:36 AM
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