Spice Up Your Life
The National Institute of Health has developed a method for measuring the level of antioxidants in foods based on a standard weight of 100 grams. It is called The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value. Foods highest on the ORAC scale contain the most antioxidants, compounds known to neutralize free radicals caused by stress, pollution, radiation, unhealthy food and chemicals. Research has shown that antioxidants lower diseases associated with inflammation and oxidative stress such as macular degeneration, dementia, heart disease and cancer.
Spice Facts:
1) Choose whole food versus juice. More than 50% of the antioxidant levels can be lost when fruit is turned into juice. Compare the ORAC value of an orange (1,819) to orange juice (726). Therefore, be sure to get plenty of whole fruits and vegetables for maximum antioxidant intake.
2) Spices are an important part of a healthy diet. Surprisingly, the levels of antioxidants in spices can be 100 times higher than most fruits and vegetables. For example, dried oregano has an ORAC value of 200,129. What a powerful disease fighter then when you compare oregano to other healthy foods like oranges (ORAC value of 1,819) and blueberries (ORAC value of 6,552).
3) Use both dried spices and fresh herbs. The antioxidant levels in fresh herbs are lower than dried spices because the antioxidants are more concentrated when spices are dehydrated. For example, fresh basil has an ORAC value of 4,805 whereas dried basil contains more than 10 times that amount – a whopping 67,553. But the levels in both are still often higher than most other foods. My recommendation? Go crazy on both fresh and dried herbs! And be sure to buy organic spices to reduce the concentration of pesticides that can be damaging to your organs and tissues.
Here is a brief list of the ORAC value of many spices demonstrating that they are antioxidant rich foods and an important part of a healthy diet:
Cloves, ground 314,446
Cinnamon, ground 267,536
Oregano, dried 200,129
Turmeric 159,277
Cocoa, dry, unsweetened 80,933
Parsley 74,349
Basil 67,553
Sage 32,004
Mustard seed, yellow 29,257
Ginger, ground 28,811
Black pepper 27,618
Thyme 27,426
Marjoram 27,297
Chili powder 23,636
Paprika 17,919
Cardamon 2,764
Way to amp up the spice, glad to see cardamon on the list, as I added it to my rice pudding on Sunday before your radio show! I love your answer to number 3: both! So true. You’d better believe I’ll be drying my herbs come fall. Keep up the spicy work. Can’t wait for more.