Column 32, September 2010

Antioxidant loading

Following on from last month’s article, it seems that runners – especially endurance runners - produce large amounts of free-radicals, which can potentially damage tissue in the human body. This oxidative damage has been theorised to play a part in the development of many chronic and degenerative diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as ageing process itself.

Antioxidants can reduce this oxidative damage.

From current literature, it would appear that whole food sources of antioxidants eg fruit and vegetables are more beneficial than antioxidant supplements in reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke. This may be due to the vast range of antioxidants found in foods (which each neutralise specific free-radicals), as well as other biological factors.

Types of antioxidants

A number of minerals and vitamins have a role as dietary antioxidants eg vitamins A, C, E and selenium. There are however thousands of other antioxidants present in foods including; carotenoids, isoflavones, flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins.

Antioxidant values for specific foods

Plant foods – fruit, vegetables, beans, pulses and some cereals - are our best source of dietary antioxidants. In 2007 the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) measured the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) or ‘antioxidant power’ of 277 common US foods (see www.oracvalues.com). An ORAC value is assigned to a food based on a 100g serve. Be aware however that usual serving sizes vary eg we would probably never consume 100g of garlic in one go, but we could quite easily eat a 200g apple, therefore comparing the ORAC per serve is probably more appropriate. It is recommended that we eat foods containing at least 3000-5000 ORAC units per day; however those exercising at a high level may theoretically benefit from higher levels.

The 20 highest antioxidant foods per typical serve (as measured by the USDA)

Rank	Type	Food item	Serving size	Total antioxidant capacity per serving size
1	Beans/Legumes	Red Beans (dried)	Half cup	13727
2	Fruit, Berry	Wild blueberries	1 cup	13427
3	Beans/Legumes	Red kidney beans (dried)	Half cup	13259
4	Beans/Legumes	Pinto beans	Half cup	11864
5	Fruit, Berry	Blueberries	1 cup	9019
6	Fruit, Berry	Cranberries	1 cup (whole)	8983
7	Vegetable	Artichokes (cooked)	1 cup (hearts)	7904
8	Fruit, Berry	Blackberries	1 cup	7701
9	Fruit	Prunes	Half cup	7291
10	Fruit, Berry	Raspberries	1 cup	6058
11	Fruit, Berry	Strawberries	1 cup	5938
12	Fruit	Red Delicious apples	One	5900
13	Fruit	Granny Smith apples	One	5381
14	Nut	Pecans	1 ounce (28g)	5095
15	Fruit, Berry	Sweet cherries	1 cup	4873
16	Fruit	Black plums	One	4844
17	Vegetable	Russet potatoes (cooked)	One	4649
18	Beans/Legumes	Black beans (dried)	Half cup	4181
19	Fruit	Plums	One	4118
20	Fruit	Gala apples	One	3903

Here’s a few Antioxidant packed recipes that will have you well on the way to achieving the minimum 3000-5000 recommended ORAC units per day in just one serve;

Trail Mix

50g (1 sml bar) dark Chocolate, chopped into small pieces, or buttons

100g Almonds, raw

100g Peanuts, raw

100g Prunes, bite size, pitted

100g Raisins

ORAC rating = 2530 (per 50g serve, makes 9 snack-size serves):

Spinach and Chicken summer salad for one

½ sml bag baby spinach leaves

⅓ cup strawberries, sliced

¼ cup red grapes halved

heaped tablespoon almonds, slivered

shredded chicken

lite dressing

ORAC rating = 2660/serve

Blueberry and Goji Berry porridge

⅓ cup Rolled Oats

1 heaped Tbsp (25g) dried Goji Berries

½ cup frozen Blueberries

1 heaped Tbsp slivered Almonds

Yoghurt/milk

Cook rolled oats and goji berries in 1c water on low heat until thick. Add blueberries and stir for 1 minute. Top with yoghurt and almonds.

Serves 1

ORAC rating = 7270

There’s many more delicious ways to boost your antioxidant intake by including beans and legume dishes several times a week, and adding kiwifruit, berries and nuts to cereals and smoothies. Even a ‘standard’ 100ml glass of Cabernet Sauvignon can add 5034 ORAC units. Remember that food has many other important functions in the body than just providing antioxidants though, so enjoy variety as well.

Marnie Oberer

Shoe Clinic are proud to have...

Marnie Oberer as an Expert columnist.

Marnie is a nutritionist and athlete and has been the host of Eating Well on TV One for the past two years. She is a trained dietitian and has a degree and two postgraduate diplomas from the University of Otago. By 28 Marnie had set up her own business consultancy, advising high performance athletes and teams. Marnie started competitive aerobics and caught the ‘marathon bug’ running in Australia, UK and USA.