Much is made of free radicals and antioxidants these days, and with good reason. Perhaps one of the greatest battles in the health-disease continuum is that between free radicals and antioxidants. Tipping the scale in our favor will promote longer life and better health.

A free radical is a molecule with one unpaired electron that carries a single positive charge. Free radicals are what cause your car’s body to rust. In the human body, these same free radicals cause tissue damage and aging. And that single positive charge gets passed domino-like through each molecule the free radical contacts in the body. 

Cigarette smoking, stress, chemical exposure, injuries, and sun exposure are all sources of free radicals.

Antioxidants neutralize that single positive charge and thus stop the “domino fall” of tissue damage. Vitamin C, vitamin, E, selenium, bioflavonoids, and polyphenols are all examples of antioxidants. 

As a general rule, the more antioxidants you have in your body, the healthier you are. In fact, a large British study in 2008 found that people with high blood levels of vitamin C lived four years longer than those with low levels.

Not surprisingly, antioxidant supplements are big business. From vitamin C to whole foods-based products (fruit and vegetable juices and powders), antioxidant products are widely available. The question is, Are these products effective and worth the price?

I’m not going to name products, because I’m not trying to endorse or condemn any one in particular. They will generally contribute to better health, all other things considered. I take a supplement myself, even though I eat lots of antioxidant-rich foods. 

 I’m aware of some powdered drinks that provide a whopping 15,000 – 20,000 ORAC units, a measure of antioxidant capacity, for about $8.00 per serving. This works out to 40 cents per 1,000 units. Can we do better with pure foods? 

 The USDA lists ORAC values for hundreds of foods. Wild blueberries provide about 6,500 ORAC units per 3.5 ounces. I can buy frozen wild blueberries at the store year-round for $4.00 per pound, making the cost per 1,000 units a little more than 13 cents! That’s one-third the cost of the supplement.

 Fresh raw currents have almost 8,000 ORAC units per 3.5 ounce serving. While the USDA does not list the ORAC value of dried currents, drying tends to triple ORAC values. Dried currents are $4.50 per pound locally. Assuming a tripling of antioxidant concentration, the cost per 1,000 ORAC units of dried currants is just four cents. 

Using similar logic, and the ORAC values of dark chocolate and fresh cherries, I come up with a real treat. Chocolate covered dried cherries at a local health food store are $16.99 per pound. Their ORAC value per 3.5 ounces is about 12,000, making the cost per 1,000 units just over 30 cents. Granted this is more than dried currants or frozen blueberries, but it’s cheaper than the supplement powder. And, it puts a smile on your face to think about taking your medicine!

 Now I’m not suggesting that we all live on dark chocolate and fruit. (Though I could suggest worse things!) A variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, plus healthy fats and proteins, are crucial to good health. Berries, artichokes, black beans, tree nuts, artichokes, and culinary herbs and spices are loaded with life-extending antioxidants. Load your diet with them, and you will enjoy optimal health reduce your need for expensive supplements.