Fruits with Antioxidant

March 18th, 2009 Posted in Fruits with Antioxidant No Comments »

Welcome back!

You know that on the NutriSystem program, one tasty benefit is that you get to eat lots and lots of fruit. But did you ever wonder which are best for you? Have you ever thought about whether blueberries or cherries are best for your body? Oranges or strawberries?

We all know that fruits give us plenty of Vitamin C. However, a key to unlocking the benefits of fruit could be knowing how high it scores on the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbent Capacity) chart, which calculates its antioxidant power; the higher, the better. Summer fruits, such as blueberries, strawberries and raspberries (which are crammed with phytonutrients, nutrients found in the skins of fruits and vegetables), have very high ORAC scores, which means that including them in your diet could help preserve your body and brain longer.

The added beauty of these findings? Because their sugars are naturally occurring, most high-antioxidant fruits are also low glycemic! That means that if you have a serving size of your favorite berries every day, you could very well be helping your long-term health while all the while staying on program! And there’s nothing like the real thing: since such fruits also give you much-needed fiber, you’re better off eating that delicious orange than drinking orange juice.

Whatever your lifestyle, make sure to feed your body right with plenty of fruit.

The Best Antioxidant Fruits (based on ORAC)

Note: The numbers listed below are for ORAC units per 3.5 ounces, and are listed for comparison purposes. These figures may not equal a NutriSystem serving size (also listed).

Fruit ORAC units NutriSystem Serving Size
Prunes 5770 3 prunes
Raisins 2830 2 Tbsp.
Blueberries 2400 3/4 cup
Blackberries 2036 3/4 cup
Strawberries 1540 1 1/4 cup
Raspberries 1220 1 cup
Plums 949 2 plums
Oranges 750 1medium
Red Grapes 739 15 grapes
Cherries 670 12 cherries

Source: USDA

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