USDA Releases Antioxidant Ratings

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has posted the antioxidant values for various foods online. Researchers have determined that blueberry juice has the highest antioxidant levels, beating out other juices such as apple, cranberry and grape.
However, don’t limit yourself to juices when it comes to boosting your diet with antioxidants. According to the USDA, many foods scored higher on the list than blueberry juice did.
So which foods made the top 10? Well, here’s some good news: both chocolate and cocoa scored high on the list. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should rush out and buy a chocolate bar at the corner store. You need to find some good-quality dark chocolate (at least 70% dark) to give yourself a big dose of antioxidants.
Surprisingly, a lot of spices also scored near the top of the list. Cinnamon, sage, basil, marjoram and clove can all help fight “free radicals.” Free radicals are molecular in size and roam around your body, causing cellular damage. This cellular damage is thought to be the starting point of all sorts of health problems, including diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease, as well as being implicated in the aging process.
Fruits and vegetables scored lower on the list compared to spices and other foods. However, don’t think that fruits and vegetables are no longer a valuable addition to your diet. They still pack a big punch when it comes to nutrition — mainly in the form of vitamins and minerals. So, continue to eat lots of fresh produce every week to keep healthy and strong.
One particular food that scored high when it came to antioxidant rating was “sorghum bran.” Try using some of this bran in your favorite muffin, bread and cookie recipes to give them some free-radical-fighting power.
Check out the full list online by going to the USDA’s web site at www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome.
Researchers used the Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC) testing procedure for detecting the free-radical scavenging ability of foods. Simply check the column marked “mean” — the higher the number, the greater the food’s antioxidant capacity.5

Green Tea for Sleep Apnea
Breathe Easy & Sleep Soundly
Green tea contains some special compounds that are known as “polyphenols.” Polyphenols are made up of “phytochemicals,” and these phytochemicals have some definite health-boosting properties. Polyphenols are antibacterial and antiviral, as well as being strong antioxidants.
One polyphenol in particular, “epigallocatechin” (EGCG) has been shown in clinical trials to enter the cells and shield DNA from hydrogen peroxide (a potent free radical).
Green tea has also been shown to protect against cancer, lower cholesterol levels and reduce clotting of the blood. Green tea has been implicated in regulating blood sugar and insulin levels, and is even thought to promote the burning of fat.
Now, a recent study has shown that green tea may help those who suffer from “sleep apnea.” Sleep apnea is a common sleep-breathing disorder. The soft tissues of the throat temporarily collapse and block the airway during sleep. This can happen many times throughout the night, and can cause sufferers to repeatedly stop breathing. As you can imagine, this makes for a disruptive night of sleep!
Symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring and gasping, as well as daytime sleepiness. Eventually, sleep apnea can lead to other health problems, such as high blood pressure, morning headaches, hypertension and memory loss. Researchers believe that this is due to loss of oxygen and damage to the brain. During a sleep-apnea episode, it is thought that lack of oxygen to the brain causes free radicals to multiply, increasing their damaging ability.

A research team at the Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky found that green-tea compounds helped protect the brains of rats from the damage that is caused by this type of oxygen deprivation. The compounds that were responsible for this protective effect were the catechin polyphenols of green tea. The researchers also noted that rats that were given drinking water with green tea added performed better during standard learning and memory tests.6

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