Why do I need phytonutrients in my diet?

Why do I need phytonutrients in my diet?

We can’t all love eating broccoli, cauliflower or eggplant. The question is: Does it really matter?

It might. Because plant-based foods offer valuable nutrients that can keep our bodies performing optimally — and each one makes its own unique blend of nutrients available to us.

 [RELATED: Learn more about putting the power of phytonutrients to work for you.]

Why fruits and vegetables matter

Plants produce phytonutrients (or “plant nutrients”) as a defense mechanism to protect themselves from their environment. These phytonutrients are thought to provide similar benefits for people.

The next time you walk down a produce aisle, take a close look at all the different colors you see. Each vibrant plant color is related to the phytonutrients it contains — and a specific range of health benefits. In order to get many protective benefits for your whole body, it’s important to eat a wide variety of different colors.

Power up your plate

Want to add a particular phytonutrient to your diet? Some plant foods contain more than others. For instance:

  • Red grapes have 20 times more resveratrol — believed to support memory and heart health — than blueberries
  • Carrots have four times the alpha carotene — which supports healthy vision — of winter squash
  • Raspberries have three times the cellular-health promoting ellagic acid of strawberries
  • Green tea delivers 90 times more EGCG, which supports brain and heart health, than black tea
  • Raw garlic has 11 times more allacin, which supports already healthy blood pressure, than powdered garlic

Learn more about phytonutrient content

The value of plant-based ingredients

At Nutrilite, we use phytonutrient mapping to measure and compare the phytonutrient content of plant-based and synthetic concentrates. Each peak on the chart below represents a phytonutrient. For example, as you can see, natural beta carotene (from algae) contains far more phytonutrients than its synthetic counterpart.

SecBLOG_Phytonutrient_Chart_1040w_AMW050

Did you know?

Nutrilite supplements are made by combining the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients from more than 170 plants.

Catch up with your daily needs!

If you’re not getting a diverse range of food colors into your diet — whether it’s because you don’t like some fruits and vegetables, or you just don’t have enough time to prepare balanced meals — Nutrilite dietary supplements can help you get the phytonutrients you need. Find them here >

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

6 ways to get your kids to eat healthier

Image
  Healthy eating: How to get kids on board At some point during parenthood, everyone struggles with feeding their children the right foods. Is it green enough? Does it have the right vitamins? Will it help support their immune system? Picking the right foods alone is a hard job, but what do you do when your kids won’t even touch the green stuff on their plates? Here are five helpful tips from our resident expert, Nutrilite™ senior research scientist Holiday Zanetti, who also happens to be a mom with a Ph.D. in nutrition! Try new things Don’t be afraid to try new things and expose your kids to the vast world of nutritious foods. Who knows what your kids might like? Maybe you grew up hating Brussels sprouts and green beans, but there is a chance your little ones might love them! Holiday says expanding their exposure to diverse kinds of foods will only help them find more stuff they like. A good way to introduce new fo...
Read more

Echinacea and immunity support

Image
  Echinacea and immunity support: Nutrilite has the research From our farms: Echinacea is more than a pretty flower Echinacea, the beautiful purple coneflower so common in North American landscaping, is more than just a feast for the eyes. It can also be good for your health. Native Americans turned to echinacea roots and root juices centuries ago when faced with various ailments, including toothaches, sore throats and even snake bites. While snake bites may not be a common occurrence today, people are still looking for ways to help support their natural immune defenses. That’s why echinacea is the largest crop at the organic Nutrilite™ farm in Trout Lake, Washington. Nutrilite researchers there have been studying different varieties of the botanical for years, narrowing their focus down to two types that provide the highest levels of key nutrients for products like the Nutrilite Immunity Echinacea or the Nutrilite Immunity Pack . Nutrilite created a prop...
Read more

How much vitamin C should you have each day?

Image
  How much vitamin C should I take to support my immune system? As one of the 13 essential vitamins and minerals, and one that is key to supporting your immune system, it’s important to get your daily dose of vitamin C. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, helping to protect your cells from free radicals. It also helps your body absorb iron and works to keep your immune system functioning properly. Your body does not synthesize vitamin C, so you need to get it from outside sources. For the average adult, that means between 75 and 90 milligrams daily. Many people want more to support their overall health. So, where can you get vitamin C? Sources of vitamin C You can fill much of your daily requirement by eating a healthy diet heavy in fruits and vegetables. A cup of orange juice, for example, has about 100mgs of vitamin C. A half cup of green peppers has about 60mgs. Let that green pepper ripen to a red pepper and the vitamin C level jumps to 95mgs. But let’s...
Read more