You may be an old hand at vitamins and minerals, but are you getting enough phytochemicals in your diet? What’s a phytochemical, anyway? The prefix phyto comes from the Greek for plant. That bit of etymology tips us off to the fact that these substances are found only in plant foods—the less processed, the better. It turns out that many phytochemicals also have health-promoting effects inside the human body.
There are only 13 essential vitamins and 14 essential minerals. In contrast, there are hundreds of phytonutrients, and probably many more waiting to be discovered. Science is just beginning to learn about the many ways in which these substances help to promote health and fight disease. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait until all the results are in to get the benefits of phytonutrients—just add more fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet. Here are five of the most promising foods to get you started.
Watermelon. Tomatoes have a well-deserved reputation for being rich in lycopene, but they’re actually the second-best source—watermelon comes in number one. Lycopene is an antioxidant that appears to be twice as powerful as beta-carotine. Lycopene consumption is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.
Kale. Kale is one of the best sources of lutein, a carotinoid which appears to be particularly important for eye health. It may also protect against cardiovascular disease. Cooking the kale reduces the amount of lutein by almost 50 percent, so try finely-chopped kale in a raw salad.
Green tea. The number one source of flavonoids, a diverse group of phytonutrients which may promote oral health, protect against cardiovascular disease, and reduce the risk of some cancers.
Onions. Onions are rich in quercetin, one of the most powerful flavonols. Quercetin has shown promise in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Parsley. The second-best source of myricetin. (Raw fennel leaves are number one, but most people will probably find it easier to incorporate parsley into their diets.) Myricetin has shown anti-allergy and anti-bacterial effects. It may also help to prevent gingivitis.
