The antioxidant values of foods listed are expressed in ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) units, a unit of measurement for antioxidant content which was originally developed by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
You can browse foods alphabetically to find their ORAC values, or if you want to get straight to the best antioxidants and purported anti-aging “superfoods”, you can view them sorted by their ORAC values – higher values imply a higher measured amount of in vitro antioxidant activity.
We regularly update this database with new foods as well as existing value updates, when applicable. Date of most recent update: January 28, 2020.
Hint: type a keyword into the search box to quickly filter (e.g. spice, berries, nuts, wine, apple, meat, tea, etc.)
What are ORAC Units?
The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) unit, ORAC value, or “ORAC score” is a method of measuring the in vitro antioxidant capacity of different foods and supplements. More than two decades in the making, it was originally developed by scientists working at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and USDA. Measuring in vivo (meaning inside the human body) is not possible and for that reason, the exact relationship between the ORAC value of a food/supplement and any suspected health benefit it may have as a result is unproven. However, many scientists theorize that foods higher on the ORAC scale may be more effective at neutralizing free radicals. Although unproven, according to the free-radical theory of aging, this may slow the oxidative processes and free radical damage that can contribute to age-related degeneration and disease.