Anti-oxidants exist in order to block, limit and control free radicals. The anti-oxidants combat free radicals with a very simple mechanism. They instantly give up their extra electron defusing the situation.
A list of the major anti-oxidants
Which are the major antioxidants?
Lipoic acid, aminoacid sulphates, like cysteine, methionine, taurine, cystic acid (against H2O2) potassium ascorbate, betacarotene, bioflavonoids, catalase, caffeine (though it is acidifying), glutathione, lycopene, catalasi corporale (transform H2O2 into H2O and O2), coenzyme Q10, EDTA, lutein (carotenoid), melatonin (scavenger or sweeper against OH- radicals), pomegranates (ellagic acid), methionine, MSM, potassium (fruit), quercitin, resveratrol, copper -selenium-zinc (in natural vegetables that contain them), natural vitamins A-C-E-B, zeaxantine, and very many other molecular structures that are continuously being discovered.
5000 ORAC a day and 6500 Angstroms a day, minimum quota for staying healthy
At the University of Boston they discovered that the world record antioxidant is black grapes, followed by black plums, myrtle berries, mulberries, strawberries and any fruit that has a dark skin, as long as the skin is not discarded. They were also able to establish measurable values, or an illustrative scale of the anti-oxidant power of vegetable matter, something similar to Andre’ Simoneton’s Bovis-Simoneton scale used to express the vibrational power of foods in Angstroms. . And as in the latter case an ideal quota of wellbeing was fixed at 6,500 Angstroms, in this case the minimum antioxidant quota ORAC, is 5,000 units per day, obtainable only if a person eats a raw food vegan diet with at least 70% raw food.
Carratelli’s spectro-photometric test to measure oxidative stress
Fruit and vegetables were subdivided into 3 groups, where the 1st group has 200 ORAC per portion, the 2nd group has 500 ORAC per portion, and the 3rd group has 1200 ORAC per portion. The Italian chemist Mauro Carratelli developed a spectro-photometric test for evaluating the hematic levels of FRs through the total oxidative capacity of the blood. It consists of a d-ROM test that analyses oxidative stress using a drop of blood. ROM stands for Reactive Oxygen Metabolites. At 300-320 U-CARR units we are in an acceptable borderline stress zone, 321-340 means light stress, 341 – 400 means a medium level of stress, 401-500 means a high level of stress and beyond 500 is a very high level of stress.
The ORAC values of foods and the world record of black grapes
The 1° food group: 3 apricots (172 Orac), 3 slices of melon (197), 1 cup of cooked cauliflower (400), 1 pear (222), 1 peach (248), 1 banana (223), 1 apple (301), 1 aubergine (326), 1 cucumber (36), 1 tomato (116), 1 plate of raw spinach (182), 1 plate of cooked green beans (404). Food group 2° : 1 pink grapefruit (1188 Orac), 1 avocado (571), 1 kiwi (458), 1 tablespoon of black dried raisins (396), 1 onion (360), 1 cup of Brussel sprouts (1384), 1 sweet potato (433), 1 bell pepper (529), 1 plum (626), juice of 1 orange (1142), 1 baked potato (575), 1 grapefruit juice (1274), 1 bunch of black grapes (569), a bunch of white grapes (357). Food group 3° (the richest elements): 1 cup of strawberries (1170 Orac), 3 black prunes (1454), 1 orange (983), 1 cup of mulberries (1466), 1 steamed green cabbage (2048), 1 cup of cooked spinach (2042), 1 cup of myrtle berries (3480), 1 glass of black grape juice (5216, the world record ). Other friends against oxidative stress are broccoli, extrav olive oil, sprouts, buck-wheat , carrots, fennel, red lettuce (radicchio), mango, pawpaw, lettuce, persimmons, courgette flowers, lupins, bell peppers, leeks, garlic, dandelion, pineapple, lemons, rose hips, hawthorn, peas, turnips and potatoes.