Phytonutrients - Diet for life
Introduction
The word “phytonutrients” is actually a combination of two words i.e. the term "phyto" is derived from a Greek word meaning “plant”. Similarly, nutrients are those food substances that are considered as vital to perform various body functions. Pronounced "fight-o-chemicals," they fight to protect your health. They can have complementary and overlapping mechanisms of action in the body, including antioxidant effects, modulation of detoxification enzymes, stimulation of the immune system, modulation of hormone metabolism, and antibacterial and antiviral effect. These nutrients are mainly concentrated in the skins of many vegetables and fruits, and are responsible for their color, hue, scent, and flavor. To a lesser extent, they are also found in grains and seeds. Bearing in mind that there is not just one phytonutrient, but that each fruit and vegetable have their own particular ones, it makes sense to include a wide variety of fruit and vegetables in our diets.
Examples of Phytonutrients
Examples of foods rich in these nutrients include: tomatoes, red onions, green tea, grapes, red cabbage, broccoli, parsley, spinach, raspberry, blackberry, garlic, and the list goes on. Recent studies have proved that that all plants contain compounds that protect them from diseases. When we eat these plants, the very same protective compounds are made available to our bodies. In the same way, they protect our bloodstream, cells, tissues, membranes, organs and immune functions from diseases. Phytonutrients have been shown to enhance our immune response, repair DNA damage caused by smoking and other toxins, and even kill cancer cells.
Definition of phytonutrients
As the name implies, “phytonutrients are certain organic components of plant origin that are thought to promote human health and vitality”.
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“A phytochemical is a natural bioactive compound found in plant foods that works with nutrients and dietary fiber to protect against disease.”
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The Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board defines functional foods as "any food or food ingredient that may provide a health benefit beyond the traditional nutrients it contains."
Phytonutrients – recommended servings
Unlike vitamins or other nutrients, there is no “recommended daily allowance” for Phytonutrients. How much phytonutrients one needs actually depends very much on one’s environment and lifestyle. However based on the recommendations made on the classical “food pyramid” model, dieticians recommend that people should at least take 3-5 servings of vegetables daily, and 2-4 servings of fruit each day. Similarly, the National Cancer Institute recommends eating at least 5 - 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. However, it is estimated that only about 49% of the US population consumes at least the minimum recommended servings of vegetables daily and only 29% consume the recommended amount of fruit each day.
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