ORAC is one way of measuring the antioxidants power in foods. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbtion Capacity. If a certain type of food has a high ORAC value, then that means that it has a high capacity to make free radicals harmless.
Studies has shown that if you eat foods with high ORAC - then the protection against free radicals increases with 25 %. You need about 3000-5000 units per day for an optimal healthy intake, but you need different ones, you shouldn't try to eat all of them from only dark chocolate or only blueberries etc..
Here is a short list of a few foods and their ORAC. This is for 100 grams:
Prunes - 5770 units
Pomegranate - 3307 units
Blueberries - 2400 units
Oranges - 750 units
Kiwi - 602 units
Kale (grönkål) - 1770 units
Spinach - 1260 units
Onion - 450 units
Dark chocolate (at least 70 % cocoa) - 13 120 units
Broccoli - 890 units
Potatoes - 300 units
Tomatoes - 195 units
And get prepared for some HIGH numbers....
Cinnamon - 267 000 units
Oregano - 200 000 units
Turmeric - 159 000 units
Remember tho that the ORAC for the spices are per 100 grams, which you would never eat per day but still even a little would be quite a lot! This is one of the reasons why I think spices are so interesting.. One of many positive things with them.
And once more - don't forget that you need to eat from all different colours so you get different types of antioxidants.
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