Phytonutrients: Cancer-Fighting and Disease Preventing Foods

By Alyssa Ford, Experience Life

Many of us are well aware of macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, protein and fat, as well as micronutrients, such as the vitamins and minerals that are listed on FDA-regulated food labels. But too few of us are familiar with phytochemicals — plant-based micronutrients that offer many health benefits and may help ward off chronic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Prevent Disease with Phytonutrient Power

It’s a time-tested truth: Plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, are good for you. But researchers recently have discovered that plant molecules connect with human cells in striking ways. In other words, we’ve known they were good for you — just not this good.

“I don’t think there’s been this much excitement since vitamins and minerals were discovered more than 100 years ago,” says Beverly Clevidence, PhD, the research leader at the USDA-funded Food Components and Health Laboratory in Beltsville, Md.

The discoveries — partly because of the work of the Human Genome Project — are revolutionizing the way we think about food.

In the past 20 years, for example, researchers have discovered that carrots, kale and peanuts are not just plant tissues embedded with vitamins and minerals that are easily encapsulated in multivitamins. Rather, these plant tissues are made up of tens of thousands of phytochemicals (“phyto” is from the Greek phuton, meaning plant).

You’ve probably heard of a few phytochemicals without even knowing what they are. For example, lycopene is a powerful phytonutrient found in tomatoes that helps fight heart disease and a variety of cancers. And the phenols found in strawberries protect against cancer and autoimmune diseases, and help reverse nerve-cell aging. But there are tens of thousands of other phytochemicals about which most of us know nothing. Experts in the nutrition field are buzzing about these chemicals with tongue-twisting names like glucoraphanin, zeaxanthin and saponin.

Next: 16 Nutrients with Big Power

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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jane r.

8:13AM PDT on May 30, 2011

thanks

send a green star

DobieMax W.

7:31AM PDT on May 6, 2011

Noted

Vicynthia T.

6:39AM PDT on Mar 23, 2011

Thank you!!!!

Jay E.

12:06PM PST on Mar 11, 2011

great news

Dana B.

4:48PM PST on Mar 10, 2011

Very helpful. Thank you

Lynn C.

7:50AM PST on Mar 10, 2011

Great advice here...unless we know exactly how a nutrient works, including interactions with other nutrients, we'll certainly unbalance the beautiful system we were given to run this body we're occupying.
The more I've studied nutrition, the more I'm convinced we don't know nearly enough to dose, in large amounts, any nutrients! Eating organic, as fresh as possible, emphasis on vegetables is the wisest health promoting decisions you can make.
It's amazing how much better your energy is and how you can actually feel the effects of eating something that is not good for you. It's not an overnight change, but in a few weeks the difference is amazing.

Loo S.

7:27PM PST on Mar 9, 2011

thanks for sharing.

Jane R.

6:32PM PST on Mar 8, 2011

Great article. Thanks.

3:15PM PST on Mar 8, 2011

so... one of my supplements... NOW Fruit @ Greens phytofoods is useless??? NOW university says different.... they do alot of research and you can take online courses. Alot of whats said here is true and on the same page but supplements are not useless, they will help but don't pick bad brands that loaded with crap. NOW foods is not the best but alot better then the crap they show TV. Still eating the food is best but i eat them with the supplements.

Paula B.

9:50AM PST on Mar 8, 2011

I didn't know that isolated beta carotene didn't do much good, but I have always felt that nature supports us with the BEST we can have