ORAC is the standard test, adopted by the US Department of Agriculture, to measure the potency of antioxidants in food. The test was developed by Dr. Guohua Cao, a physician and chemist who worked at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, Maryland. The ORAC test, gives a good idea of the free-radical-destroying potential of a given food. It does this by measuring the time an antioxidant takes to react as well as the capacity of antioxidants within the sample food. It combines these elements into one measurement that is commonly expressed in terms of a 100 gram sample.
It has been suggested that humans should consume about 5000 ORAC units a day for maximum benefits. Unfortunately, most people do not eat nearly enough vegetables and fruit, or the right type of vegetables and fruit, to achieve this. For example, to get your daily ORAC dose from apples, you would need to eat 2,294 grams of apple (or about 22 apples). However, as you can see from the below chart, eating just 20 grams of goji berries will cover you.
| Fruits | ORAC Score |
Grams Needed to Reach DRI |
| Goji Berries | 25,300 | 20 |
| Black Raspberries | 7,700 | 65 |
| Prunes | 5,770 | 87 |
| Bilberry | 4,460 | 112 |
| Pomegranates | 3,307 | 151 |
| Raisins | 2,830 | 177 |
| Blueberries | 2,400 | 208 |
| Red Raspberries | 2,400 | 208 |
| Blackberries | 2,036 | 246 |
| Strawberries | 1,540 | 325 |
| Noni Fruit | 1,506 | 332 |
| Plums | 949 | 527 |
| Oranges | 750 | 667 |
| Cherries | 670 | 746 |
| Red grapes | 739 | 677 |
| Pink grapefruit | 495 | 1010 |
| White grapefruit | 460 | 1087 |
| Apples | 218 | 2294 |
| Banana | 210 | 2381 |
| Pears | 134 | 3731 |
| Watermelon | 100 | 5000 |
| Vegetables | ORAC Score | Grams Needed to Reach DRI |
| Garlic | 1939 | 258 |
| Spinach | 1,770 | 282 |
| Steamed spinach | 909 | 550 |
| Yellow squash | 1,150 | 435 |
| Brussels sprouts | 980 | 510 |
| Alfalfa sprouts | 930 | 538 |
| Broccoli | 880 | 568 |
| Broccoli flowers | 890 | 562 |
| Beets | 840 | 595 |
| Avocado | 782 | 639 |
| Red bell pepper | 710 | 704 |
| Baked beans | 503 | 994 |
| Onions | 450 | 1111 |
| Corn | 400 | 1250 |
| Peas, Frozen | 375 | 1333 |
| Eggplant | 390 | 1282 |
| Potato | 300 | 1667 |
| Sweet Potato | 295 | 1695 |
| Cabbage | 295 | 1695 |
| Cauliflower | 385 | 1299 |
| Carrot | 210 | 2381 |
| Tomato | 195 | 2564 |
| Cucumber | 60 | 8333 |
| Other | ORAC Score | Grams Needed to Reach DRI |
| Dark Chocolate | 13,120 | 38.1 |
| Milk Chocolate | 6,740 | 74.2 |
| Rooibos tea (200ml) | 750 | 133 |
As you can see from the chart above, the Goji Berry possesses an unmatched ability to absorb injurious, free radicals that attack the body, and contribute to the aging process and many diseases.
Our bodies are constantly being bombarded by these free radicals because of the air we breathe, the water we drink, the pesticides on our fruits and vegetables, the chemicals we clean with, the preservatives in our processed food, our high sugar intake, ect..
Eating foods high in antioxidants is one way we can help our bodies combat these free radicals.
