The Mediterranean Zone (26 page)
Read The Mediterranean Zone Online
Authors: Dr. Barry Sears
ORAC values are only indicative of the anti-oxidant capacity in an artificial laboratory situation because it tells us nothing about the absorption or anti-oxidant actions in the blood. As an example, a study at Tufts Medical School indicated that doubling the ORAC intake of fruits and
vegetables increased the levels of anti-oxidants in the blood by about 10 percent. This is why you have to consume a lot of polyphenol-containing foods to make an appreciable impact on the blood levels.
However, as I stated earlier in this book, the real purpose of polyphenols is to control the composition of the bacteria community in the gut. From that perspective, I believe that getting ten thousand ORAC units per day is a reasonable dietary goal to try to achieve to not only help control the bacteria in the gut, but also to improve the levels in the blood.
Listed below are the ORAC units for 100 grams of a variety of foods as well as the amount of total carbohydrates and fiber in each. Subtracting the fiber from the total carbohydrates gives us the carbohydrates available to enter the bloodstream and thus an indication of the food’s impact on insulin secretion. The goal of the Mediterranean Zone is to use primarily the foods that have the most polyphenols with the least amount of available carbohydrates.
Fruits
:
Apples, raw, with skin
ORAC Units/100 g
:
3,049
Calories/ 100 g
:
52
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
11
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
282
Fruits
:
Apricots, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
1,110
Calories/ 100 g
:
48
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
9
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
122
Fruits
:
Avocados, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
1,371
Calories/ 100 g
:
160
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
2
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
749
Fruits
:
Bananas, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
795
Calories/ 100 g
:
89
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
20
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
39
Fruits
:
Blackberries, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
5,905
Calories/ 100 g
:
43
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
4
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
1,370
Fruits
:
Blueberries, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
4,669
Calories/ 100 g
:
57
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
12
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
386
Fruits
:
Blueberries, wild, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
9,621
Calories/ 100 g
:
61
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
10
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
991
Fruits
:
Cherries, sweet, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
3,747
Calories/ 100 g
:
63
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
14
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
269
Fruits
:
Cranberries, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
9,090
Calories/ 100 g
:
46
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
8
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
1,196
Fruits
:
Currants, black, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
7,957
Calories/ 100 g
:
63
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
15
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
517
Fruits
:
Dates, uncooked
ORAC Units/100 g
:
3,895
Calories/ 100 g
:
282
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
67
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
58
Fruits
:
Elderberries, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
14,697
Calories/ 100 g
:
73
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
11
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
1,289
Fruits
:
Figs, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
3,383
Calories/ 100 g
:
47
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
16
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
208
Fruits
:
Grapefruit, raw, pink and red
ORAC Units/100 g
:
1,548
Calories/ 100 g
:
42
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
9
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
171
Fruits
:
Grapes, red, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
1,837
Calories/ 100 g
:
69
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
17
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
107
Fruits
:
Guavas, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
1,422
Calories/ 100 g
:
68
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
9
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
159
Fruits
:
Kiwi, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
862
Calories/ 100 g
:
61
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
12
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
74
Fruits
:
Lemons, raw, without peel
ORAC Units/100 g
:
1,346
Calories/ 100 g
:
29
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
7
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
206
Fruits
:
Lime juice, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
823
Calories/ 100 g
:
25
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
8
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
103
Fruits
:
Limes, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
82
Calories/ 100 g
:
30
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
8
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
11
Fruits
:
Mangos, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
1,300
Calories/ 100 g
:
60
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
13
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
97
Fruits
:
Melons, cantaloupe, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
319
Calories/ 100 g
:
34
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
7
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
44
Fruits
:
Melons, honeydew, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
253
Calories/ 100 g
:
36
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
8
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
31
Fruits
:
Nectarines, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
919
Calories/ 100 g
:
44
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
9
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
104
Fruits
:
Oranges, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
2,103
Calories/ 100 g
:
47
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
9
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
225
Fruits
:
Papayas, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
300
Calories/ 100 g
:
43
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
9
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
33
Fruits
:
Peaches, canned, heavy syrup, drained
ORAC Units/100 g
:
436
Calories/ 100 g
:
72
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
17
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
25
Fruits
:
Peaches, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
1,922
Calories/ 100 g
:
39
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
8
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
239
Fruits
:
Pears, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
1,746
Calories/ 100 g
:
57
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
12
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
142
Fruits
:
Pineapple, raw, all varieties
ORAC Units/100 g
:
385
Calories/ 100 g
:
50
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
11
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
33
Fruits
:
Plums, raw
ORAC Units/100 g
:
6,100
Calories/ 100 g
:
46
Grams Absorbable Carbs/100 g
:
10
ORAC Units/gram of Absorbable Carbs
:
609
