ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This is its capacity for fighting free radicals which are the cause of cancers, reduced immune system capabilities and other diseases.

There are several methods which have been developed to measure the total antioxidant capacity of biological samples. But the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) method is unique.

ORAC measures the degree to which a sample inhibits the action of an oxidizing agent and also how long it takes to do so. Then it integrates the two measurements into a single unit.

This provides an accurate and reproducible measurement for the different types of antioxidants having different strengths.

One of the best ways to fight free radicals is by choosing the right foods.

This is where ORAC is important. ORAC is a way to measure how many free radicals a specific food can absorb. The more free radicals a food can absorb, the higher its ORAC score. The higher its ORAC score, the better it is at helping our bodies fight diseases like cancer and heart disease and other diseases.

ORAC provides us with a method of measuring the overall antioxidant power of foods and supplements. Antioxidants are essential to good health, especially with respect to aging and age related disorders. Scientists have learned that phytochemicals, including antioxidants, increase our resistance to disease and boost immunity. Hence the recommendation of 5-9 servings of fruits and vegatables each day.

Simply put, the higher the ORAC value of food the more antioxidant power it contains. The focus on "foods" is significant as scientists have found that antioxidants are most effective when received from a whole food.

Studies show that the average person gets only about 1200 ORAC units per day from 3 servings of fruits and vegetables.

However 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units per day are required to have a significant impact on plasma and tissue antioxidant capacity.

Plant foods have the highest ORAC score are best at fighting disease.

Generally, brightly colored foods tend to be the ones with the highest ORAC scores. This means these are the foods that help fight disease the best by stopping free radicals from causing damage in our bodies. Think bright reds, greens, oranges, blues, purples, yellows, and oranges.

What foods do these words describe? Strawberries, spinach, blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, yellow peppers, carrots, and oranges. Any brightly colored fruits and vegetables that you can think of are good for you to include in your diet EVERY DAY! As a matter of fact, research shows that people who eat more of these plant foods have lower risk of cancer!