Phytonutrients – Nature’s Natural Remedies

Posted by Norma Richardson on August 20, 2010

Nutrition and health experts are finding wisdom in the old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Researchers now agree that the foundation of a healthy diet is one rich in fruits and vegetables largely because they are beginning to understand the life-saving benefits of phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are natural plant compounds found in fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and teas. Scientists have already found more than 900 different phytonutrients with more being added to the list every day. Eating foods rich in phytonutrients can help you reduce your risk of chronic diseases including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and many age-related ailments.

How do they work? In order to survive environmental stressors, fruits and vegetables produce disease-fighting phytochemicals that stimulate the formation of self-repairing cells in plants. They create the same type of response in human beings. Unlike vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, phytonutrients are not necessary for your body’s day-to-day operation. However, the health benefits they bring increase your quality of life and possibly the length of it. Phytonutrients can help boost the immune system; sustain healthy blood sugar levels; act as antioxidants to protect against aging; regulate hormones; aid in optimizing brain function; support heart health and reduce blood cholesterol; improve lung function; and repair DNA damage responsible for some cancers. Some of the better-known phytonutrients are: carotenoids, flavonoids, isoflavones, and lignans.

To take advantage of the health benefits gained from phytonutrients, add color and aim for variety in the plant foods you eat. Include fresh, whole foods in your diet. Choose colorful fruits and vegetables – yellow, orange, red, green, blue, and purple – and, if possible, leave the peel on, as that is where many of the phytonutrients are. Consider berries, citrus, cruciferous (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage) and dark, leafy greens when looking for phyto-packed foods. Some plant foods like oranges can contain upward to 170 different phytonutrients in a single source.

Most importantly, eat locally grown fruits and vegetables that are in season in your area because when foods are allowed to ripen naturally, a process that amplifies its amount of phytonutrients, there is a higher concentration of healthful compounds.

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Tags: antioxidant, food, fruit, health benefits, healthy diet, nutrients, phytonutrient, vegetables, whole foods

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