26/09/2023
You may have heard of these phytochemicals or phytonutrients before. They include polyphenols, resveratrol, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, terpenoids, and carotenoids, to name a few, and they play a significant role in creating optimal health and disease prevention.
These compounds benefit our biology in hundreds of ways. They boost immunity, reduce inflammation, and have anti-cancer and anti-aging effects. Take broccoli, for example, worthy of its health-promoting reputation. It’s a phytochemical powerhouse full of sulforaphane, glucosinolates, chlorophyll, carotenoids—all disease- and cancer-fighting, antioxidant, detoxifying compounds.
Studies have shown that eating 2 cups of broccoli a week can reduce cancer risk. The compounds in broccoli can also help lower bad cholesterol, improve digestion and eye health, and reduce overall inflammation in the body.
Why are plants so rich in phytochemicals?
They don’t make them for our benefit, even though we hijack them to optimize our biology. The phytochemicals found in the edible plant kingdom are the plants’ messaging system, a means of protection, defense, and survival. These compounds deter pests, prevent the plants from being eaten, increase hardiness, and even communicate messages to other plants, animals, and the trillions of microbes and fungi found within the soil.
Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, anti-cancer, and disease-fighting medicines proclaim themselves through their bright colors. We should all eat the rainbow of colors (except Skittles and M&Ms) regularly—red, green, yellow, orange, and purple plants, even the weird ones we’ve never tried before.
Think of all of the colorful plant foods that you see in the supermarket and the hundreds of plants that we could eat.
