Fruits with the Most Antioxidants
Examine the Benefits of Blueberries, the Acai, and Cranberries
Sep 22, 2009
Lately the acai has been much in the news. Touted as the newest "superfood," it is a small reddish-purple fruit that comes from the acai palm tree (Euterpe oleracea), which is native to Central and South America. A relative of the blueberry and cranberry, the inch long acai supposedly contains anti-aging, weight loss, and antioxidant properties in vast quantities. But is it really that much better than its relatives?
Acai Berry Facts Stats and Myths
The acai, according to WebMD.com, contains several substances called anthocyanins and flavonoids. The first term comes from two Greek words meaning “plant” and “blue" and is responsible for the color in fruits and flowers from jalepenos to blood oranges. Both substances, though, are powerful antioxidants that help defend the body against free radicals, aging, and oxidative stress like heart disease and cancer.
But the blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, blackberry, and strawberry all contain the same good stuff, so why is the acai different? Well, the acai is thought to have even more of all that good stuff, the most, in fact, of any fruit. Unfortunately, all of the benefits of this newly promoted and highly touted superfood tend to stop at rumor, and so far it has been found to (again, WebMD.com), "have no known health benefit any different than that of other similar fruits."
Superfoods Facts Stats and Information
The idea of getting more superfoods into your diet, though, is altogether a good one and worth exploring. Generally speaking, they will simultaneously lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, and, as special bonus, actually improve your mood. In addition, there are no side-effects, and they are a lot easier to come by than you might think.
Nutritionist Elizabeth Somer says, "even people who are healthy can make a few tweaks and the impact will be amazing... I'd say that 50% to 70% of suffering could be eliminated by what people eat and how they move..." She adds, "every superfood is going to be a 'real' (unprocessed) food. You don't find fortified potato chips in the superfood category."
And most superfoods are surprisingly easy to find, at least according to a 2008 New York Times article on health which lists the following super-easy-to-find-and-use superfoods.
- Beets: Full of anti-oxidants.
- Cabbage: Cancer-fighting and full of other good stuff.
- Swiss chard: Good for the eyes.
- Cinnamon: May help with blood pressure.
- Pomegranate juice: anti-oxidant giant.
- Dried plums: Anti-oxidants, potassium, iron, and fiber; they've get it all.
- Pumpkin seeds: Full of magnesium, carbohydrates, amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, most of the B vitamins, C, D, E, K, calcium, potassium, niacin, and phosphorous. Whew!
- Sardines: Get your omega-3’s here! Also, surprisingly, loaded with calcium.
- Turmeric: Possible anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
- Frozen blueberries:Anti-oxidants, vitamins E and C, and anti-aging properties.
But What is the Healthiest Fruit?
As you can see, fruits are an important superfood, grabbing 3 of the ten slots, and beets, though a vegetable, have the same important reddish-purple color. But if you needed to pick just one proven powerhouse to add to your regular diet that makes the list year after year you couldn't get much better than the venerable and stalwart American wild blueberry (they date back to early Native American use). Packed with antioxidants and flavinoids, these berries are also high in potassium and vitamin C, making them the top choice of doctors and nutritionists. Not only can they lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, but they are also an anti-inflammatory.
Additionally, according to the US Highbush Blueberry Counsel (in a USDA Human Nutrition Research Center laboratory), feeding blueberries to laboratory rats slowed age-related loss of mental capacity, a finding that has exciting and important implications for us all.
Of course one cannot discount the solid and healthful benefits of the chokecherry, elderberry, cranberry, black currant, blackberry, cranberry, raspberry, prune, or plum, which are all named in the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) report . The ORAC offers a complete list of foods and corresponding antioxidant levels as compiled by scientists at the National Institutes of Health, namely the National Institute on Aging.
So what is really going on with all of the fruity hype? The bottom line is that if it is reddish-purple it is a good bet to be full of antioxidants, might even be a superfood, and probably should be part of your regular diet.
 |
