Phytonutrients Flashcards
(35 cards)
What are phytonutrients?
Chemical compounds produced by plants which are beneficial to human health and help prevent various diseases
Benefits of phytonutrients
- Give foods taste, fragrance, colour
- Promote health and fight disease
- There are over 25,000 of them
- They are found in tea, nuts, spices, beans, herbs, fruit, veg and grains
What foods are flavonoids found in?
Blue, purple & black
For example blueberries, blackberries, aubergine, olives
Flavonoid benefits
Antioxidants, heart health, circulation and vision
What foods are chlorophyll found in?
Green
Kale, spinach, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, avocado, cucumber
Benefit of chlorophyll
Liver detox
What foods are lycopene found in?
Red and pink
Tomatoes, guava, watermelon
Benefits of lycopene
Reduce inflammation, high in vit c, prostate support
What foods are carotenoids?
Yellow and orange
Carrot, sweet potato, squash, turmeric
Carotenoid benefits
Immune, vision, joints
What foods are sulphur compounds in?
White & brown
Mushrooms, onion, garlic, parsnip, ginger
Sulphur compound benefits
Heart, circulation and liver detox
What are catechins and epicatechins?
Flavonoid with strong antioxidant properties
Catechins and epicatechin foods
Tea & cocoa
Black grapes, berries, apples, pears, plums
Catechin and epicatechin benefits
Anti inflamm, neuros, cardio, joints
What is quercetin & what dosage?
Most abundant of the flavonoids
150mg-1500mg a day
(fast excretion rate so needs to be consumed regularly)
Food sources of quercetin
Onions, apples, grapes, berries and tomatoes
Quercetin benefits
Cardio, cancer, immune, gout,
Isoflavonoid foods (pea)
Brussel sprouts, lentils, peas, chickpeas, peanuts
Isoflavonoid benefits
Oestrogens, osteo, cardio
What are lignans?
They can be metabolised to form phytoestrogen compounds
Phytoestrogen food sources
Flaxseeds, sesame seeds, beans, pulses, cruciferous veg
Lignan benefits
Oestrogen modulation - menstrual and menopause
Anti cancer of hormonal cancer - breast, ovarian, prostate, endometrial
25g a day, freshly ground
How to support oestrogen clearance (+ avoid)
- Optimise soluble and insoluble fibre to bind and excrete oxygen from the bowel
- Optimise the gut microbiome with pre and probiotics to prevent the disruption of excreted oestrogens
- Support methylation with folate, b6, b12 foods
- Avoid dairy as it mimicks oestrogen
- Avoid smoking, alcohol and caffeine to prevent overburdening the liver so it can detox oestrogen