{"id":448637,"date":"2010-03-19T17:56:47","date_gmt":"2010-03-19T21:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54fc8012e88330120a9550e29970b"},"modified":"2010-03-20T08:32:17","modified_gmt":"2010-03-20T12:32:17","slug":"what-the-experts-say-about-getting-the-most-antioxidants-from-our-food-why-we-need-them-how-to-best-absorb-them-cooked-or-raw-why-organic-matters-the-orac-index-and-the-o2-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/448637","title":{"rendered":"What the Experts Say About Getting the Most Antioxidants from Our Food.  Why We Need Them &#8211; How to Best Absorb Them &#8211; Cooked or Raw? &#8211; Why Organic Matters &#8211; The ORAC Index &#8211; and the O2 Diet"},"content":{"rendered":"<div xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xhtml\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.happyhealthylonglife.com\/.a\/6a00e54fc8012e88330120a954dbbe970b-pi\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Antioxidants\" class=\"asset asset-image at-xid-6a00e54fc8012e88330120a954dbbe970b \" src=\"http:\/\/www.happyhealthylonglife.com\/.a\/6a00e54fc8012e88330120a954dbbe970b-400wi\" style=\"width: 400px;\" title=\"Antioxidants\"><\/img><\/a> <\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #302449;\"><\/p>\n<p><\/span><span style=\"color: #302449;\">&#8220;About twenty years ago, researchers found the missing link. <br \/><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #302449;\">They discovered<br \/>\nthat colorful plant foods in their natural state were also rich in<br \/>\nthousands of compounds with important health properties for<br \/>\nhumans\u2014phytochemicals. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #302449;\">Only by eating an assortment of natural foods that<br \/>\nare micronutrient-rich can you get enough of these compounds to protect<br \/>\nyourself from the common diseases that afflict Americans.&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">-Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of &#8220;<strong>Eat to Live<\/strong>&#8211;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">If you&#8217;ve received this via email, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.happyhealthylonglife.com\/happy_healthy_long_life\/2010\/03\/antioxidants.html\">click here <\/a>to get to the web version with all the links!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">On the long drive to New York City 2 weeks ago I brought along some light reading and listening material to fill my time:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The March issue of <strong>The Oprah Magazine<\/strong>.\u00a0 I zoned right into: Nina Planck&#8217;s brilliant article: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.oprah.com\/food\/Food-Writer-Nina-Planck-Gives-O-the-Lowdown-on-Organic-Food\">&#8220;Are Organics Worth Their Price&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Keri Glassman&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nutritiouslife.com\/O2_diet.html\">The O2 Diet: The Cutting Edge Antioxidant-Based Program That Will Make You Healthy, Thin, and Beautiful<\/a>\u00a0<strong> <\/strong>OK&#8211; I agree, this is a terrible title, and I could care less about the thin &amp; beautiful part (not going to happen)&#8211;but her user-friendly ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) rankings of common foods&#8211;and her easy-to-understand plan to kick up our daily intake of health-giving antioxidants makes this book definitely worth your while.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>NPR&#8217;s Your Health Podcast<\/strong> from 7\/27\/09 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.podcastdirectory.com\/search\/keyword.php?search=nutrient+detectives&amp;page=1\">The Nutrient Detectives&#8211;How Do They Know?\u00a0<\/a> I had listened to this 7 months ago&#8211;and what a serendipitous surprise that I chose to give it a &#8220;re-listen&#8221;!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A magazine, a popular book, and a podcast.\u00a0<strong> End result:\u00a0<\/strong> I increased my understanding of the benefits of antioxidants and organic produce, I learned the best way to eat my fruits and veggies (who knew?), and I now have Glassman&#8217;s terrific cheat sheet for plotting a way to get her recommended 30,000 ORAC points a day&#8211;it&#8217;s an easy method to make sure I get the most bang for my nutritional buck.<\/p>\n<p>Because of my car ride <strong>&#8220;<\/strong>entertainment<strong>&#8220;&#8211;O<\/strong>, <strong>NPR<\/strong>, &amp; the <strong>O2 Diet<\/strong>&#8211;I&#8217;ve added, subtracted, and rejiggered some of my daily diet routines.\u00a0 I&#8217;ve added 3 cups of green tea, for one&#8211;and I&#8217;m following up tough work-outs with an antioxidant-rich smoothie &amp; extra sleep.\u00a0 Plus, I&#8217;m making an effort to include lots of cinnamon, curcumin, and oregano into my cooking.<\/p>\n<p>Lots of info to share&#8211;so I&#8217;ll just cover the &#8220;what&#8217;s new to me&#8221; highlights.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><br \/><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 15px; color: #bf5f00;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #bf5f00;\">What I Learned About Organics and Antioxidants from Nina Planck<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<p>NIna Planck is both a food writer, and an advocate of &#8220;real food&#8221;, farmer&#8217;s markets, and organic produce.\u00a0 She wrote her article in <strong>O<\/strong> in response to a report released last year by the British Food Standards Agency that pronounced organic food to be no more nutritious than the conventional variety.\u00a0 Organic advocates claimed the report was flawed, incomplete, and biased. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s Planck&#8217;s case for organic produce:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The French Agency for Food Safety:\u00a0 organics have more antioxidants, heart-healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids, iron and magnesium than conventionals<\/li>\n<li>The British Food Standard&#8217;s Agency:\u00a0 organics have more magnesium, zinc, antioxidant phytochemicals, like polyphenols &amp; flavonoids than conventionals<\/li>\n<li>A 5-year 33 university study sponsored by the European Commission&#8211;believed to be the largest study of its kind&#8211;found organic cabbage &amp; potatoes have more vitamin C&#8211;and organic tomatoes have more nutrients overall.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>My eye-opening finding from Planck&#8217;s article:\u00a0<span style=\"color: #bf5f00;\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #bf5f00;\">How Using No Pesticides Increases the Antioxidant Content of Fruits &amp; Vegetables<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\">&#8220;A lack of pesticide exposure is an important reason organic produce has higher levels of beneficial antioxidants like vitamin C&#8211;which fight the free radicals implicated in aging, cancer, and heart disease.<\/span><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\"><br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\">Antioxidants are actually part of a plant&#8217;s own defenses.\u00a0 In fruits and vegetables, these bitter elements help fend off attacks by bugs and fungi.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\">Organic crops contain more of these compounds because they have to work harder to protect themselves&#8211;with no man-made pesticides to the rescue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\">In addition, organic produce is free of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, which can also weaken plants&#8217; health.\u00a0 Nitrogen produces a watery, sugary cell sap that compromises the plant&#8217;s ability to build its immune system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\">Plants that come to rely on the chemical can no longer fend off pests naturally.\u00a0 Crops that are treated with the synthetic fertilizer also have overly leafy growth and poor flavor, as farmers have long known.\u00a0 That&#8217;s because the plants&#8217; natural immune system of antioxidants is what makes produce aromatic and savory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\">In other words, a healthy plant makes a healthy meal&#8211;and a tastier one.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Bottom Line:\u00a0 <\/strong>Plants do a better job of building up their own immune systems with antioxidants to fight of disease, fungus, and pests when they&#8217;re grow organically&#8211;without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I don&#8217;t usually buy organic&#8211;but Planck&#8217;s article is making me rethink that habit.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #bf5f00; font-size: 15px;\">What I Learned From NPR&#8217;s\u00a0 &#8220;Your Health&#8221; Podcast, &#8220;The Nutrient Detectives&#8211;How Do They Know?&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">1.\u00a0 <strong>The Beta-Carotene Fat Connection<\/strong>:\u00a0 (Yes&#8211;I already mentioned this in the olive oil post) To best absorb antioxidant carotenoids we need a little fat in the form of some nuts, seeds, or olive oil when we eat our fruits &amp; vegetables&#8211;according to\u00a0 Wendy White, a professor Human Nutrition at Iowa State University. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> Carotenoids are the pigments responsible for red-, yellow- and<br \/>\norange-colored fruits and vegetables. And carotenoids are also found in<br \/>\ndark green vegetables such as spinach. The compounds convert to Vitamin<br \/>\nA in the body, and studies have found that carotenoids have<br \/>\nantioxidant activity which may help protect our cells from damage caused<br \/>\nby free radicals. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Human studies have linked high consumption of fruits<br \/>\nand vegetables to reduced risk of cancer. \u00a0 White&#8217;s salad study at Iowa State found that volunteers who ate\u00a0 full-fat dressing absorbed the most<br \/>\nbeta-carotene.\u00a0 The reduced-fat dressing eaters had substantially less<br \/>\nabsorption of beta-carotene.\u00a0 And the fat-free dressing salad eaters<br \/>\nhad <strong>no absorption<\/strong> of the beta-carotenes. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ajcn.org\/cgi\/content\/full\/80\/2\/396\">American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2004 Aug;80(2):396-403.<\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">2.<strong> Chop up your fruits &amp; vegetables into tiny pieces for better antioxidant absorption.\u00a0 <\/strong>According to Dr. White, the finer you can chop up your vegetables the more you can increase the nutrient absorption&#8211; because it breaks down the plant material, aka cellulose.\u00a0\u00a0<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\">&#8220;When we chew a salad, we often don&#8217;t do an efficient\u00a0 job of crushing every cell;\u00a0 about 70-90% of the cells are not broken open.\u00a0 As a result most of the valuable nutrients contained within those cells never enter our bloodstream and are lost.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\">An even more efficient way to ensure you receive these needed nutrients is using a blender (think VitaMix) to puree raw, leafy greens.\u00a0 The blending process aids your body in the work of breaking down and assimilating nutrients.\u00a0 It guarantees that a higher percentage of nutrients will be absorbed into your bloodstream.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">-Dr. Joel Fuhrman, <strong>Eat For Health<\/strong>&#8211;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">3.\u00a0<strong> Raw Isn&#8217;t Always Better.\u00a0 <\/strong>Heat isn&#8217;t always destructive to antioxidants.\u00a0 When it comes to absorbing fruits &amp; vegetables with beta-carotene and lycopene&#8211;think carrots and tomatoes&#8211;cooking actually aids absorption, because it softens the plant material, and releases their nutrients.\u00a0 It just so happens that lycopene &amp; beta-carotene are very stable antioxidants that aren&#8217;t harmed by heat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">4.\u00a0 <strong>What&#8217;s the best cooking method to retain antioxidants?\u00a0<\/strong> According to a recent study in the <strong>Journal of Food Science<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19397724\">click here<\/a>\u00a0 microwaving is the winner when it comes to preserving nutrients&#8211;because it&#8217;s mild, quick, and it preserves the water soluble nutrients like vitamin C &amp; B.\u00a0 Boiling is the worst method&#8211;water is definitely not the cook&#8217;s &#8220;best friend&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">5.\u00a0 <strong>Measuring the antioxidant content of fruits &amp; vegetables at the USDA Research Center in Beltsville Maryland.<\/strong>\u00a0 James Harnly is the guy who measures the phytonutrients for the USDA <strong>ORAC Index<\/strong>&#8211;using a complicated freezing, drying, grinding, liquid chromatography process.\u00a0\u00a0 It turns out&#8211;and most of us already know this&#8211;the fruits and vegetables with the highest antioxidant content are blueberries for their flavonoids; the Brassica family vegetables, like kale, cauliflower, and broccoli; the deep purple vegetables like eggplant for their anthocyanins; and apples for the flavonols in their skin.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">According to Harnly, when it comes to most fruits&#8211;the flavonoids are mostly in their skins&#8211;think apple &amp; orange peels.\u00a0 Whatever you do&#8211;don&#8217;t throw away the peels. \u00a0 Although researchers know that antioxidants are beneficial, how they work to prevent and neutralize free-radical damage is still an unknown.\u00a0 Harnly guesses that it will likely turn out to be part of some sophisticated cascading effect going on in the body&#8211;that needs antioxidants to get started.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\"><br \/><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #bf5f00;\"><span style=\"font-size: 15px;\">Using Keri Glassman&#8217;s O2 Diet and Her ORAC Lists to Fine-Tune Your Diet<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I just happened upon Glassman&#8217;s book while browsing the <strong>New Book<\/strong> shelf at my local public library.\u00a0 She&#8217;s a registered dietitian with a New York City nutrition practice, and she&#8217;s also a nutrition contributor to the <strong>CBS<\/strong> <strong>Early Show<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>What&#8217;s the ORAC Index anyway?<\/strong>\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ars.usda.gov\/Services\/docs.htm?docid=15866\">The ORAC Index <\/a>was<br \/>\ndeveloped by the U. S. Department of Agriculture with the help of the<br \/>\ntop nutrition scientists in the country.\u00a0 It ranks 277 foods by<br \/>\nantioxidant content&#8211;their ability to either destroy or neutralize<br \/>\ndisease-causing free radicals.\u00a0 Since oxidative stress caused by free radicals is likely to be one of the factors which plays an important role in the development of chronic and degenerative diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and neuronal degeneration&#8211;the ORAC Index is definitely a number to pay attention to<br \/>\nwhen choosing your foods.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ars.usda.gov\/SP2UserFiles\/Place\/12354500\/Articles\/AICR07_ORAC.pdf\">Click here <\/a>for the USDA ORAC Index Fact Sheet<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">But if you took a look at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ars.usda.gov\/Services\/docs.htm?docid=15866\">USDA&#8217;s ORAC Index <\/a>of foods you would scratch your head and wonder, &#8220;OK, so now what am I supposed to do with this?&#8221;\u00a0 It definitely ranks the foods&#8211;but all the foods are ranked using a quantity of 100 grams&#8211;a meaningless measurement&#8211;nothing close to normal people portions.\u00a0 It doesn&#8217;t give us a clue about how to compare blueberries to apples to spinach in terms of portion size.\u00a0 But Glassman spells it all out.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Keri Glassman made the ORAC Index usable because she took the USDA numbers and converted them into ounces and then converted them into normal people portions.\u00a0 Thank you, Keri Glassman!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I love her game plan of using the ORAC Index points to shoot for 30,000 points a day to make sure you&#8217;re eating a variety of &#8220;high-achieving&#8221; fruits, vegetables, legumes, carbohydrates, beverages, and spices everyday.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Why 30,000 Points a Day, You Ask?\u00a0 Here&#8217;s What Glassman Has to Say:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">&#8220;Researchers have just begun to scratch the surface of antioxidant research; there are now literally hundreds of studies linking antioxidant-rich foods to better health, including everything from reduced heart disease to a decreased likelihood of cancer.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">And while taking too many antioxidant supplements in pill form may be harmful, there&#8217;s absolutely no downside to consuming more nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables.\u00a0 Although the current recommendations are that we eat between 3,000 and 5,000 ORAC points a day for optimum health, why not get all you can?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Eating<br \/>\n30,000 ORAC points will boost the antioxidant power of your blood at<br \/>\nleast 10 to 25% percent according to some of the original ORAC<br \/>\nresearch.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ars.usda.gov\/IS\/pr\/1999\/990208.htm\">Click here<\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Don&#8217;t forget that you still need to eat a balanced diet.\u00a0 Sure you could get to 30,000 easily on nothing but artichokes, blueberries, and hot cocoa.\u00a0 But that&#8217;s not a balanced diet, and you&#8217;d be cheating yourself out of the wide variety of nutrients out there.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; color: #000000;\">Easiest way to reach 30,000 points a day?<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Drink a Green Smoothie!\u00a0 <\/strong>I calculated that my daily smoothie made with 1\/2 an apple, 1\/2 a grapefruit, 3 cups of kale, 1\/2 cup of blueberries, 1\/2 of a kiwi, 1\/4 cup of pomegranate juice, and 2 carrots, comes to about 17,710 points!\u00a0 Who knew?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Add 3 cups of green tea a day for 9,000 more points.\u00a0 I&#8217;ve never been a tea drinker until now &amp; the scientific research on the benefits of green tea is extensive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Add a cup a black beans for 15,600 additional points.\u00a0 Kidney beans, pinto beans, &amp; lentils&#8211;they&#8217;re all outrageously high in ORAC points.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Great tips from the O2 Diet<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Intense exercise actually weakens your immune system<\/strong>, putting you at risk for getting sick for a full 72 hours\u00a0 after each workout&#8211;so, to counteract the effect of an intense workout&#8211; Glassman recommends increasing your antioxidant intake to 50,000 points and getting an extra half hour of sleep.\u00a0 Sounds like a plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Oatmeal is brain food<\/strong>.\u00a0 This complex carbohydrate helps to produce the feel-good chemical serotonin which has antioxidant properties, and helps ease that &#8220;stress-out&#8221; feeling.\u00a0 Studies show that kids who eat oatmeal (with 600 ORAC points) for breakfast stay sharper throughout the morning.\u00a0 No wonder I love my morning crockpot steel cut oats&#8211;made with dried fruit that kick up the ORAC points another notch!\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.happyhealthylonglife.com\/happy_healthy_long_life\/2010\/02\/3-tips.html\"> Click here<\/a> for the recipe<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Turmeric\/Curcumin, the spice that gives curry its yellow color is a well-known antioxidant-<\/strong>-which not only helps in the prevention of Alzheimers, it&#8217;s recently been shown to reverse impaired cognition and neuronal plasticity caused by stress.<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19540859\">\u00a0 Click here<\/a>\u00a0 Turmeric clocks in at 3,500 ORAC points per teaspoon.\u00a0 I&#8217;ve been taking a 500 mg capsule of curcumin daily, ever since a Columbia University neurologist specializing in Alzheimers told me he takes a teaspoon of turmeric a day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #bf5f00; font-size: 15px;\">A Sampling of the O2 Diet&#8217;s ORAC Index Points<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Glassman&#8217;s book has a full list of the ORAC points of common foods by serving size, and she generously makes these lists available on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nutritiouslife.com\/O2_diet.html\">her website<\/a>.\u00a0 Click here for the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nutritiouslife.com\/pdf\/orac_points_portable_guide.pdf\">ORAC point guide<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 Click here for the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nutritiouslife.com\/ORAC\/\">ORAC calculator<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #bf5f00; font-size: 14px;\">Top Foods in the ORAC Index<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Fruit\/ Serving\/ ORAC Value<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Blueberries 1 c= 9,700<br \/>Cranberries (raw) 1 c= 9,600<br \/>Red Delicious apple 1= 7,800<br \/>Blackberries 1 c= 7,700<br \/>Granny Smith apple 1= 7,100<br \/>Raspberries 1 c= 6,000<br \/>Strawberries 1 c= 5,400<br \/>Gala apple 1= 5,200<br \/>Pear 1= 5,200<br \/>Fuji apple 1= 4,700<br \/>Dried Fruit\/ Serving\/ ORAC Value<br \/>Cranberries, dried 2 Tbsp= 2,100<br \/>Prunes 3= 1,900<br \/>Currants 2 Tbsp= 1,100<br \/>Raisins 2 Tbsp= 600<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><br \/><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Starch\/ Cereal Serving\/ ORAC Value<\/span><br \/><\/strong><br \/>Oat bran flakes 3\u20444 c= 800<br \/>Popcorn, air-popped 5 c= 700<br \/>Instant oatmeal 1 packet= 600<br \/>Wheat germ 3 Tbsp= \u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bread\/Crackers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Pumpernickel bread 1 slice= 500<br \/>Oat nut bread 1 slice= 400<br \/>Whole grain\/seven-grain bread 1 slice= 400<strong><\/p>\n<p>Starchy Vegetable<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Sweet potato with skin 1 medium= 2,400<br \/>Red potato with skin 1 small= 1,800<br \/>White potato with skin 1\u20442 medium= 1,600<br \/>Russet potato with skin 1\u20442 medium= 1,500<br \/>Corn 3\u20444 c= 700<br \/>Butternut squash 1 c= 600<br \/>Pumpkin 1 c= 600<br \/>Peas 3\u20444 c= 400<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Legumes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Black beans 1\u20442 c= 7,800<br \/>Kidney beans 1\u20442 c= 7,800<br \/>Lentils 1\u20442 c= 7,500<br \/>Pinto beans 1\u20442 c= 7,000<br \/>Black-eyed peas 1\u20442 c= 3,600<br \/>Chickpeas 1\u20442 c= 800<br \/>Split peas 1\u20442 c= 500<strong><\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Vegetable\/ Serving\/ORAC Value<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Artichoke hearts 1\u20442 c= 7,900<br \/>Broccoli rabe 1 bunch= 6,800<br \/>Red cabbage (cooked) 1\u20442 c= 2,400<br \/>Radish (raw) 1 c= 2,000<br \/>Broccoli (cooked) 1\u20442 c= 1,900<br \/>Kale (raw) 1 c= 1,770<br \/>Onion (raw) 1 c= 1,600<br \/>Red cabbage (raw) 1 c= 1,600<br \/>Asparagus (cooked) 1\u20442 c= 1,500<br \/>Green bell peppers (raw) 1 c= 1,400<br \/>Salsa 1\u20442 c= 1,300<br \/>Spinach (cooked) 1\u20442 c= 1,300<br \/>Broccoli (raw) 1 c= 1,200<br \/>Red bell peppers (raw) 1 c= 1,200<br \/>Brussels sprouts (cooked) 1\u20442 c= 980<br \/>Carrots (raw) 1 c= 900<br \/>Tomato sauce 1\/2 c= 900<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Vegetarian Options<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Black beans (or black bean soup) 1 c= 15,600<br \/>Kidney beans 1 c= 15,600<br \/>Pinto beans 1 c= 15,000<br \/>Lentils 1 c= 14,000<br \/>Black-eyed peas 1 c= 7,300<br \/>Edamame (soybeans) 3\u20444 c= 5,400<br \/>Chickpeas 1 c= 1,700<br \/>Split peas 1 c= 1,000<br \/>Hummus 4 Tbsp= 400<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Fat\/Serving\/ORAC Value<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Pecans 8 halves= 2,500<br \/>Walnuts 7 halves= 1,900<br \/>Hazelnuts 8= 1,000<br \/>Pistachios 18= 1,000<br \/>Avocado 1\u20444= 700<br \/>Guacamole 2 Tbsp= 700<br \/>Almonds 10= 500<br \/>Almond butter 2 tsp= 500<br \/>Peanuts 15= 500<br \/>Peanut butter 2 tsp= 500<br \/>Cashews 8= 200<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Beverage\/Serving\/ORAC Value<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Wine (Incorporate alcohol as a conscious indulgence.)<\/strong><br \/>Sangria (See recipe on page 98 of the O2 Diet) 4 oz= 11,900<br \/>Cabernet 5 oz= 7,400<br \/>Red 5 oz= 5,700<br \/>Ros\u00e9 5 oz= 1,500<br \/>White 5 oz= 600<br \/><strong>Tea (Drink up\u2014no calories here!)<\/strong><br \/>Green tea 1 c= 3,000<br \/>Black tea 1 c= 2,700<br \/>Other herbal teas 1 c= \u2014<br \/>Juice (to be consumed in lieu of whole fruit)<br \/>Blueberry juice 1\u20442 c= 3,600<br \/>Pomegranate juice 1\u20442 c= 2,900<br \/>Concord grape juice 1\u20442 c= 2,900<br \/>Prune juice 1\u20442 c= 2,600<br \/>Red grape juice 1\u20442 c= 2,300<br \/>Cranberry\u2013Concord grape juice 1\u20442 c= 1,800<br \/>White grapefruit juice 1\u20442 c= 1,500<br \/>Cranberry juice 1\u20442 c= 1,100<br \/>White grape juice 1\u20442 c= 1,000<br \/>Orange juice 1\u20442 c= 900<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Herb\/Spice\/Serving\/ORAC Value<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Cinnamon, ground 1 tsp= 7,000<br \/>Cloves, ground 1 tsp= 6,600<br \/>Oregano, dried 1 tsp= 3,600<br \/>Turmeric, ground 1 tsp= 3,500<br \/>Cumin seed 1 tsp= 1,600<br \/>Curry powder 1 tsp= 1,000<br \/>Mustard seed, yellow 1 tsp= 1,000<br \/>Chili powder 1 tsp= 600<br \/>Pepper, black 1 tsp= 600<br \/>Basil, dried 1 tsp= 500<br \/>Ginger, ground 1 tsp= 500<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #8b8b8b;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"feedflare\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/typepad\/happyhealthylonglife\/happy_healthy_long_life?a=0PvwViLHBnQ:QoMH874EPXo:yIl2AUoC8zA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/typepad\/happyhealthylonglife\/happy_healthy_long_life?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/typepad\/happyhealthylonglife\/happy_healthy_long_life\/~4\/0PvwViLHBnQ\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;About twenty years ago, researchers found the missing link. They discovered that colorful plant foods in their natural state were also rich in thousands of compounds with important health properties for humans\u2014phytochemicals. Only by eating an assortment of natural foods that are micronutrient-rich can you get enough of these compounds to protect yourself from the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2896,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-448637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2896"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448637\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}