Top 10 High Antioxidant Foods List
Antioxidants may be easier to add to your diet than you might think. Based on ORAC scores below are some of the top antioxidant foods by weight:
- Goji berries: 25,000 ORAC score
- Wild blueberries: 14,000 ORAC score
- Dark chocolate: 21,000 ORAC score
- Pecans: 17,000 ORAC score
- Artichoke: 9,400 ORAC score
- Elderberries: 14,000 ORAC score
- Kidney beans: 8,400 ORAC score
- Cranberries: 9,500 ORAC score
- Blackberries: 5,300 ORAC score
- Cilantro: 5,100 ORAC score
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Other high antioxidant foods are still great sources and highly beneficial, like tomatoes, carrots, pumpkin seeds, sweet potatoes, pomegranates, strawberries, kale, broccoli, grapes or red wine, squash, and wild-caught salmon.
- Other high antioxidant foods are still great sources and highly beneficial, like tomatoes, carrots, pumpkin seeds, sweet potatoes, pomegranates, strawberries, kale, broccoli, grapes or red wine, squash, and wild-caught salmon.
Top 10 Antioxidant Herbs List
Along with antioxidant foods, certain herbs, spices and essential oils derived from nutrient-dense plants are extremely high in healing antioxidant compounds. Here is another list of the herbs you can try adding to your diet for increased protection against disease. Many of these herbs/spices are also available in concentrated essential oil form. Look for 100 percent pure (therapeutic grade) oils, which are highest in antioxidants.
- Clove:314,446 ORAC score
- Cinnamon: 267,537 ORAC score
- Oregano: 159,277 ORAC score
- Turmeric: 102,700 ORAC score
- Cocoa: 80,933 ORAC score
- Cumin: 76,800 ORAC score
- Parsley (dried): 74,349 ORAC score
- Basil: 67,553 ORAC score
- Ginger: 28,811 ORAC score
- Thyme: 27,426 ORAC score
Other antioxidant-rich herbs include garlic, cayenne pepper and green tea. Aim to consume two to three servings of these herbs or herbal teas daily.
ORAC Score of tart cherries
Antioxidant capacity of foods is measured in ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) units. ORAC score shows how many oxygen radicals a food can absorb and deactivate. The ORAC value is expressed in micromoles of Trolox Equivalents (µmol/TE) per 100 grams of sample (this is the laboratory measure of ORAC). The higher the score the better a food may be in its ability to fight oxidants. Nutrition experts estimate that a person needs to consume 3,000 - 5,000 ORAC units a day. Below you will find a table comparing ORAC scores of various fruits and vegetables. Just 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of concentrated cherry juice provide 12,800 ORAC units; or just one serving of 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) will supply 3,657 ORAC units, which is more than the minimum daily recommended amount.
ORAC scores of fruits and vegetables compared to tart (sour) cherries.
ORAC scores of fruits and vegetables compared to tart (sour) cherries.