Antioxident-Rich Foods

Most of us know that it's good to eat lots of antioxident-rich foods. They help slow down the aging process, fight disease, and combat degeneration. The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is the level of the antioxident level in a specific food. This ORAC value is a number given to tell us how good it is at fighting free radicals - the enemies to every cell in our bodies. The higher the number, the more potent the antioxident capacity.

Here is a list of the top 20 antioxident-rich foods along with their ORAC values:

1. Small red beans, 1/2 cup -  13727
2. Wild blueberries, 1 cup    -  13427
3. Red kidney beans, 1/2 cup - 13259
4. Pinto beans, 1/2 cup -  11864
5. Cultivated blueberries, 1 cup -  9019
6. Cranberries, 1 cup  -  8983
7. Artichoke hearts, 1 cup cooked  -  7904
8. Blackberries, 1 cup  -  7701
9. Dried prunes, 1/2 cup  -  7291
10. Raspberries, 1 cup  -  6058
11. Strawberries, 1 cup  -  5938
12. Red Delicious apple  -  5900
13. Granny Smith apple  -  5381
14. Pecans, 1 ounce  -  5095
15. Sweet cherries, 1 cup  -  4873
16. Black Plum  -  4844
17. Russet Potato, 1 cooked  -  4649
18. Black beans, 1/2 cup  -  4181
19. Plum  -  4118
20. Gala apple  -  3903

We've heard so much about "super fruits", but look at all those "super beans"! If you cook your beans at home, remember to soak them overnight and/or put a stick of Kombu seaweed in the pan while cooking; both these help cut down on gas. Take your digestive enzymes, too!