Posts Tagged ‘plant based food’

Phytonutrients your personal pharmacy means that it doesn’t take a hike to the Pharmacy; just a few steps to your garden will help heal what ails you.

phytonutrients

Phytonutrients are compounds that naturally occur in plants and provide a range of potential health benefits. It’s believed that the health benefits come from the pigments in fruits and vegetables that give them their vibrant colors. By boosting phytonutrient intake, it can help decrease the risk for certain chronic diseases, including cardiovascular, cancer, and diabetes.

A study, supported by the Nutrilite Health Institute and presented at the Experimental Biology Meeting, April 25, in Anaheim, California, found that despite the availability of a wide range of foods that contain phytonutrients, many Americans are getting phytonutrients from a relatively small number of specific foods that are not necessarily the most concentrated sources.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise; processed food is the food group of choice. With that being the main stay of the American diet, eating has become risky. There is no understanding of what are the primary foods for the human body to function at peak performance.

The next generation will have no compelling evidence, because this is seldom stated as the cause of ill health. The drop in plant consumption has resulted in many of the chronic health conditions plaguing us.

Produce Intake Among Americans

A previous study conducted by the Nutrilite Health Institute concluded that 8 in 10 Americans have a Phytonutrient gap, which translates to a lack of fruit and vegetable intake. If such great things come in small packages that could result in better health you would think that we would partake of it.

If fruits and vegetables were pharmaceuticals we would have the medical community touting the remarkable results that it produced.

Common drugs accelerates mental and physical decline in the elderly. Yet, changing to a good diet curtails both of these events. Pulling all the research together shows that produce promotes health and longevity.

Phytonutrients offer powerful protection optimizing digestive, circulatory, hormone function, bladder, liver, pancreas and vision function.

With all the health giving benefits produce intake which is the foundation of health is quite low. This is more than an apple a day will keep the doctor away. It literally is the fountain of youth that everyone is so intent on seeking. It is right in front of your nose, the plant food that lines the produce department of super-markets, and the farmers markets that spot the landscape.

A Short List of Potential Live Extending Produce

Beta-carotene – carrots

Beta-cryptoxanthin – oranges/orange juice

Lutein/zeaxanthin – spinach

Ellagic acid – strawberries

Isothiocyanates- mustard

For each of these phytonutrients, however, there is a more highly concentrated food that could be chosen instead:

• Beta-carotene – sweet potatoes
  Sweet potatoes have nearly double the beta-carotene compared to carrots in a single serving.
• Beta-cryptoxanthin – papaya
  A serving of fresh papaya has roughly 15 times the beta-cryptoxanthin of an orange.
• Lutein/zeaxanthin – kale
  By substituting cooked kale for raw spinach, it is possible to triple lutein/zeaxanthin intake.
• Ellagic acid – raspberries
  Serving per serving, raspberries have roughly three times the ellagic acid compared to strawberries.
• Isothiocyanates – watercress
  Just one cup of watercress as the basis for a salad has about the same level of isothiocyanates as four teaspoons of mustard.

The best place to start going green is with your diet. The dining habits of Americans are revealed in their health. It is amazing the information that someones health tells about what is on their plates. This is not a recent discovery, it is common knowledge that somehow is not relayed to the public.

People who upgrade their diet to include more plant-based foods, are healthier. These foods have an abundant supply of phytochemicals  that prevents Oxidative stress in the body. This is associated with a lower risk of obesity and disease. These findings were published online before being published in the print edition of the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics.

The benefits become apparent when you start consuming enough of these protective foods. These are leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. Phytochemicals in plant based foods are the key to good nutrition.

“We need to find a way to encourage people to pull back on fat and eat more foods rich in micronutrients and trace minerals from fruits, vegetables, whole grains and soy,” said Heather Vincent, an assistant professor in the UF Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Institute. “Fill your plate with colorful, low-calorie, varied-texture foods derived from plants first. By slowly eating phytochemical-rich foods such as salads with olive oil or fresh-cut fruits before the actual meal, you will likely reduce the overall portion size, fat content and energy intake. This way, you’re ensuring that you get the variety of protective, disease-fighting phytochemicals you need and controlling caloric intake.” 

Of all the plant food dark green leafy vegetables are one of the most concentrated source of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. That is based on its low calorie content. For the amount of calories you are getting iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium with vitamins K,C, E and B, beta-carotene, lutein which are pytonutrients. They also contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats.

The protective effect of dark greens, is one of the reasons that it should be included in everyones diet. The costs of these vegetables is less than a fast food meal. Including plant based food is affordable. What isn’t affordable is not getting back to the basics. 

Cheeseburgers, french fries, diet sodas, and sugary deserts are not the foundation for health. In the long run those on a poor diet run into trouble. There are very few exceptions, a free pass is not in the works for those that eat whatever and wherever they feel like at the moment. This is not a “slip-Up” it is a formula for disaster. Health is simple, easy and green