Phytochemicals
Researchers
have become particularly excited in recent years about a group
of compounds found in vegetables, fruits and other plant foods
called phytochemicals. Phyto is Greek for plant—so
phytochemicals simply means plant chemicals.
Just
as your body has an immune system that protects you from illness,
plants naturally produce different phytochemicals to protect
themselves from bacteria, viruses and fungi. Incredibly, scientists
have discovered that these same compounds can also work as
powerful disease blockers in humans.
So
far, thousands of different phytochemicals have been identified
in plant foods including flavonoids (found in berries,
citrus fruits, onions, apples, grapes and soy); sulforaphane,
indoles and isothiocyanates (found in cruciferous
vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage); protease inhibitors
(found in grains and beans); allicin (found in garlic);
lycopene (found in high amounts in tomatoes and red
peppers) and resveratrol (found in high amounts in grapes).
Studies
have found that different types of phytochemicals work in
different ways to prevent disease. Some phytochemicals have
anti-inflammatory properties and can help to inhibit clotting
that can lead to a heart attack. Other phytochemicals have
been found to reduce the risk of heart disease by influencing
the absorption of cholesterol in your body. Some phytochemicals
act like scavengers and remove carcinogens (cancer causing
compounds) from your cells. And scientists from Cornell University
in New York have found that certain phytochemicals can even
prevent carcinogens from forming in the first place.
Vegetables
and fruits are a very good source of phytochemicals, and so
are other types of plant foods like legumes, whole grains
and nuts.
So,
to make sure you get the best protection it's important to
eat a wide variety of these sorts of foods—something
that's very easy to do when you follow a MediterrAsian way
of eating!
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