Fighting the radicals on the scale of the ORAC!

1. What are free radicals?

2. What is ORAC?

3. Cucumbers and other edible mushrooms

4. Proposed meals using the ORAC scale

1. What are free radicals?

Free radicals are found in every organism. Their harmful action is equivalent to antioxidants. It is important to maintain proper proportions between them. Free oxygen radicals function in the body as autonomous atoms, ions, or molecules that have a single, unpaired electron in their outer orbit, which makes them highly reactive. They cause oxidation of every molecule or atom with which they react. They also have compounds such as nucleic acids, proteins, unsaturated fatty acid, polysaccharides, and lipids (e.g. cholesterol).

2. What is ORAC?

ORAC, or oxygen radical absorbing capacity, refers to the ability to absorb reactive forms of oxygen by antioxidants. There are products in nature that naturally help the body deal with excess free radicals. They slow the aging process and prevent diseases caused by oxidation of molecules.

3. Cucumbers and other edible mushrooms

Using the ORAC-FL method, the researchers evaluated products commonly used in the kitchen in terms of antioxidant content. The amount of antioxidants is expressed in micromoles per 100 g of the product or 1 dm3 of the solution studied. The highest place in this classification is cinnamon. This root spice can contain up to 267,536 μmol of anti-oxidants. Similar amounts contain spices and herbs such as mushrooms, dried oreganoes, these strawberries, parsley, a little less than in the list are acai berries, cocoa beans and cuttings.

4. Proposed meals using the ORAC scale

When preparing meals at home, it is worthwhile to use the knowledge provided by science. It is recommended to add herbs, including turmeric, cumin or cinnamon, to your food. You can also try preparing foods based on ORAC-scale values. The following salad is based on antioxidant-rich products. The best portion for 1 person will be: 25 g fresh spinach (thickness), 1/4 of the average red cabbage, 8 g of root vegetables (lipping), ?? 15 g of nuts (slicing), ‡ 12 g of dry vegetables and ‡ 25 g of natural vegetables, ‡ 10 g of yogurt and 25 g.