Fruits and Vegetables and Phytochemicals

I'm willing to bet you probably haven't heard the word 'phytochemicals' before. But you've been eating them your whole life and they are vitally important to your life and well-being. They are one of the keys to real health.

So, what are they? Phytochemicals are biologically active substances in food. They have health enhancing abilities and possibly curative abilities. They number in the hundreds in most plant foods. They are found in fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains.

Phytochemicals work together with nutrients to promote health and prevent disease. When you eat some broccoli or a tomato, you get all of these phytochemicals. So, can't you just take a supplement? You could, but first of all, scientists have isolated only a few of the phytochemicals in foods. But these work best in combination, so taking just one, isolated phytochemical is not anywhere near as effective.

For example, let's look at lycopene. It is found in tomatoes and is an antioxidant. Antioxidants are a large and important subject, but for now, let's just simplify and say that antioxidants help to repair cellular damage.

Scientists did studies and found that tomatoes had a noticeable effect against prostate cancer. They analyzed the tomato and isolated lycopene. Then the scientists did more studies, using lycopene. The effect on prostate cancer was much less. Does this mean that lycopene doesn't work?

No, it means that it works best in combination with all the other phytochemicals in tomatoes, and the nutrients. You don't get that from a chemically identical, but lab-created, lycopene.

Eating a tomato is good for you, of course. But eating all the tomatoes you would need to get what you need from them would be quite a task. So, a whole foods powder that I use, Berry Greens, offers freeze dried tomatoes, in a form that retains the nutrients. And a whole lot of other vegetables and fruits as well. You get all the benefits of eating all those fruits and vegetables, without having to consume all that food.

Most foods have not been analyzed and even those that have been, scientists have only been able to isolate a few of the phytochemicals. Most vegetables have hundreds of phytochemicals, and it's not likely they will all be isolated, analyzed and understood any time soon. We do know now, though, that they do work together to provide real health for us.

Barbara Pfieffer writes about gaining real health on her blog, Real Health. She has resources on what supplements really work, the differences among carbohydrates and other information to bring you to real health.

National Dairy Council Makes $250 Million, Five-Year Commitment to ...
MarketWatch - 44 minutes ago
The NDC will build upon their reputation as nutrition experts in schools, and become a key partner for the NFL on the league-wide health and wellness ...
Marketers just love football season USA Today
all 4 news articles

iNutrition.com's Sponsored Athlete Natalie Waples Wins IFBB Pro ...
Earthtimes (press release), UK - 2 hours ago
I want to thank the team of Natural Nutrition, iNutrition, and InterACTIVE Nutrition for all their support in my athletic endeavors -- this new Pro status ...

Exhibition to create awareness about nutrition to begin today
Thaindian.com, Thailand - 10 hours ago
New Delhi, Sept 5 (ANI): The Ministry of Women and Child Development will organise an exhibition on nutrition here today on the occasion of National ...

China Nutrition Market Report 2007 Report Reveals That China's ...
MarketWatch - Sep 3, 2008
China Nutrition Market Report 2007 is an essential business planning tool for executives struggling to understand the Chinese nutrition industry and all of ...

Nutrition expert giving helpful tips
Downey Patriot, CA - 5 hours ago
DOWNEY—Home economist and nutrition expert Winifred Morice will speak at Downey Adult School on Sept. 18 as part of the regular OASIS meeting. ...

Berkeley restaurateur brings nutrition to fast food
East Bay Business Times, CA - 44 minutes ago
Berkeley restaurateur Amanda West says it’s only natural that East Bay consumers start demanding more of their fast food. The 2005 Stanford University MBA ...

The Diet Detective Good fats vs. bad: Nutrition experts weigh in
Seattle Times, United States - Sep 3, 2008
We asked a few nutrition experts, and here are their answers. Is it true that you should not heat olive oil? According to Dr. David L. Katz, a professor at ...

Medical Nutrition USA to Announce Fiscal 2009 Second Quarter ...
MarketWatch - Sep 3, 2008
Please call in 10 minutes before the conference is scheduled to begin and ask for the Medical Nutrition conference call. After opening remarks, there will ...

Largest Nutrition Site Run by Registered Dietitians Steps Up to ...
MarketWatch - Sep 3, 2008
HealthCastle.com's four MyPyramid-specific nutrition initiatives are: 1. MyPyramid Healthy Grocery Shopping Guide: Based on MyPyramid's daily serving ...

Sharing Our Expertise in Nutrition Support Therapy
RedOrbit, TX - Sep 4, 2008
By Tappenden, Kelly A We've all met those individuals who sincerely see themselves as authentic nutrition experts because "well, after all, [they] eat at ...
The Enteral Vs Parenteral Nutrition Debate Revisited RedOrbit
If You Don't Connect the Dots, You May Not See the Whole Picture! RedOrbit
Glutamine: More Evidence, More Promise RedOrbit
RedOrbit - RedOrbitall 6 news articles

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

Fat Burning Compatible Foods