To continue with the cherry juice and ORAC information, the greater the free radicals a food can absorb, the higher its ORAC score. The higher the ORAC score, the better a food may be in helping our bodies fight off health issues. It is widely reported that nutrition experts suggest a person needs to consume 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units a day to reach a significant antioxidant capacity in the blood associated with health benefits. Just slightly more than 3 ounces (100 grams) of tart cherry juice concentrate supplies 12,800 ORAC units. Just one ounce supplies 3,622 ORAC units, or more than an entire day’s recommendation. A quarter cup of dried cherries rates 3,060 on the ORAC scale and a half cup of frozen tart cherries supplies, on average, 1,362 ORAC (Wu 2004). A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that tart cherries ranked 14 in the top 50 foods for highest antioxidant content per serving size – surpassing well-known leaders such as red wine, prunes, dark chocolate and orange juice (Halvorsen 2006).
