What is ORAC? Beauty inside and out.

Don’t we all want to look good, feel good and enjoy life to the fullest? If you are dealing with a good lifestyle, there is no getting around the term ‘antioxidants’. But what are antioxidants anyway? What can these mean for us and against which oxidants do we actually have to be ‘anti’? Oxidants are substances that, as the name suggests, ensure that we oxidize. But what exactly does that mean now? The dictionary states:

oxidation (combine with oxygen, absorb oxygen): rust is a natural process of oxidation on metal

The oxidation in our body is comparable to the browning of a peeled apple or to iron that begins to rust. This effect is caused by the free radicals present.

What are free radicals?

Free radicals consist of one or two unpaired electrons. This makes them very unstable. As a result, they set off on a veritable raid through our bodies in search of electrons, which they snatch from other cells, proteins and fatty acids. Free radicals do not even stop at DNA, disrupting cell structure. Free radicals are by-products of our metabolism. So no matter how well we eat, free radicals are present in our bodies anyway. However, we are not powerless: smoking, prolonged sunbathing, unhealthy food, a lot of stress or alcohol promote the production of free radicals in our body. These should be avoided if they occur in large quantities. In addition, you can try to take lots of antioxidants.

What are antioxidants?

Substances that defend themselves against free radicals are called antioxidants. And this is exactly why it is so important to take in enough antioxidants. To a certain extent, the body can produce antioxidants itself, the rest must be taken in through the diet. We therefore recommend that you pay attention to the number of antioxidants, or the ORAC value, when buying food.

Number of antioxidants represented by ORAC value

But how do you know how many antioxidants are in your food or even personal care products? Nowadays, many foods and cosmetics are enriched with antioxidants. The most important reason for this: it extends the shelf life of the products. Commonly known as E-numbers. We, on the other hand, focus on pure nature and use only natural antioxidants.

Our goal is not to extend the shelf life of a product, but rather the body – through a happy mind and body. But back to the original

Question: how do we measure the number of antioxidants?

The answer: using the ORAC value (= Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity).

ORAC is a unit of measurement used to depict the absorption capacity of free radicals in a product. The higher the ORAC value, the better, the stronger the antioxidant capacity of the measured product. The ORAC test has existed since 2004 and is designated as the standard test by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Amanprana products with a high ORAC value

Our food has lost a lot of its quality in the last 50 years. Every now and then an extra dose of antioxidants can work wonders. At Amanprana, we are aware that the number of antioxidants in our food and personal care products have a positive effect on your performance. Therefore, all products in our range have a high ORAC value. Only natural antioxidants are used. The following products have a particularly high ORAC value:

• Shangri-la
• ORAC Botanico-Mix
• Kotobuki Matcha
• Schokoladen-Haselnuss-Aufstrich