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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