Phytonutrients pdf. Phytonutrients are our plant friends

Phytonutrients are beneficial substances found in plants that are found in certain types of carbohydrates. The prefix phyto- means “vegetable,” indicating that these substances are primarily found in plant foods. To get these important compounds, you need to eat natural, whole, unprocessed plant foods—carbohydrates are found in all plant foods.

Phytonutrients are very important for maintaining health. They help turn on genes that promote fat burning and slow down the aging process. They are rich sources of natural antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress, which in turn reduces inflammation and reduces mitochondrial damage. Each of these factors affects metabolism. For now, let's just note that phytonutrients are critical for health and balanced metabolism.

If you've ever been interested in a low-carb diet, you've probably heard of the glycemic index. The concept using this index is now obsolete, as will be shown below.

An index that reflects the phytonutrient content of carbohydrates consumed would be more useful. This phytonutrient index is much more informative than the glycemic index; it allows us to judge how rich our diet is in these elements important for health. This view of food is not universally accepted, but it is the easiest way to eat healthy food. When choosing foods, think about whether your ancestors ate these foods. If yes, take it, if not, put it back.

Although there are no tables or graphs available today that show the phytonutrient index, the concept itself is very important. Another approach is to try to estimate the total amount of phytonutrients in the diet. Think about how diverse natural plant foods are - vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, seeds and grains. Unfortunately, almost all refined oils, refined sugars, refined grains, tomato products, alcoholic beverages and animal products - the main sources of calories in modern Western civilization - do not contain phytonutrients.

From an evolutionary perspective, phytonutrients are a critical component of our diet. Our bodies are very lazy. If they can give up a feature, they give it up. For example, humans are the only mammal whose body has lost the ability to independently synthesize vitamin C. Phytonutrients are extremely important for controlling the gene regulation of health and weight. This is one of the main reasons to include natural plant foods in your diet. Phytonutrients activate genes that control weight and metabolism and help prevent all known chronic diseases.

New phytonutrients are being discovered in plant foods every day. Here are some of them: isoflavones in soy, lignin in flaxseed, catechins in green tea, polyphenols in cocoa, glucosinolates in broccoli, carnosol in rosemary, resveratrol in red wine. All these connections in various ways help fight disease and obesity. They constitute one of the secrets of “Ideal Metabolism” and the mechanism of communication with genes.

Our ancestors ate natural foods - wild berries, herbs, roots and mushrooms. I recently plunged into the sea of ​​phytonutrients on the wild islands of southeastern Alaska, picking cranberries, princeberries, raspberries and strawberries with grizzly bears in the swamps. All these berries were smaller, but brighter, tastier and not as sweet as their garden cousins. Wild berries are bursting with phytonutrients. The more variety and richer the color of plant foods, the more phytonutrients it contains and the better it is for your health and figure.

For example, fresh vegetables are very rich in phytonutrients, while pasta and bread have none at all. This means that fresh vegetables contain more of these compounds than refined or processed carbohydrates.

During processing, carbohydrates are stripped of most of the phytonutrients they contain. This is one of the main reasons they turn out to be harmful: they turn into empty calories. Have you ever wondered why they are called empty? Because they do not contain vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. By increasing sugar and energy intake, they do not provide any health benefits, unlike natural ones. plant products. Processed carbohydrates are bad for other reasons, too. Really, healthy carbohydrates good not only due to the high content of phytonutrients. The type of carbohydrates consumed has a huge impact on metabolic rate and general condition health, and phytonutrients play only a partial role in this. For a more complete picture, we need to discuss the metabolism of sugar in the body.

Balanced Sugar Metabolism and How It Turns into Chaos: Insulin and Insulin Resistance (AKA Metabolic Syndrome)

Carbohydrates provide the body with sugar, which is the main source of energy. The type of carbohydrate determines the nature of the effect of the resulting Sugars on our metabolism. Pure sugar (for example, from carbonated drinks) has a very negative effect on metabolism. The sugars from beans, along with fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, have a beneficial effect on helping you shed extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight. Pure sugar is harmful because it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and triggers a chain of molecular processes that increase hunger and promote weight gain. Sugar, digested together with other substances, enters the blood slowly, which helps stabilize metabolism.

Let's look at what happens when you consume sugar (in the form of healthy or unhealthy carbohydrates). When you consume any type of sugar, the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin. The task of this hormone is to ensure the delivery of sugar to the cells of the body. Once in the cell, sugar can be converted into energy in organelles called mitochondria. Mitochondria are a kind of “oven” of our cells. Thus, insulin is necessary to utilize sugar and store excess sugar.

Ideally, the interaction between insulin levels and blood sugar levels should be finely balanced. When you consume sugar, the body produces the amount of insulin necessary for its absorption. If you then eat a little more sugar, the same thing will happen again. This is a well-established cycle that occurs daily in a healthy body.

But if the diet includes too many sugars, problems can arise. With regular use large quantity sugar, especially easily digestible sugar, the level of insulin in the blood becomes elevated. Over time, this leads to the development of insulin resistance, so that more and more of it is needed to do the same job. This insulin resistance has very serious health consequences and also directly affects appetite.

Insulin resistance is very similar to drug addiction. The addict develops a tolerance to the drug, requiring increasingly larger doses to achieve the same effect. If insulin levels are constantly elevated in the body, tolerance to it also develops. As a result, the body's cells no longer respond to it in the normal way. The pancreas is forced to produce more and more of it, raising its level more and more in order to overcome resistance.

This situation very quickly turns into a vicious cycle. When blood insulin levels exceed corresponding blood sugar levels, the body requires more sugar to restore balance. But consuming it causes a further increase in insulin levels, which in turn makes you want to eat more sugar, etc. Meanwhile, all the excess sugar is stored in the form of fat, slowing down metabolism and contributing to the development of heart disease, dementia and malignant neoplasms.

This condition is called prediabetes. Other names are metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and syndrome X. All of these terms mean the same thing.

Now, it is important to understand that the type of carbohydrates consumed directly affects the rate and extent of insulin resistance development.

Different types of carbohydrates convert to sugar at different rates. If the body is overloaded with sugar, insulin levels skyrocket. This is very bad, because it leads directly to rapid development insulin resistance.

However, some types of carbohydrates are digested more slowly. They take longer to turn into sugar. In this case, insulin levels are maintained at a constant level. This is a healthy diet that helps maintain a balanced metabolism.

So we need to answer a simple question: which carbohydrates should you eat and which should you stay away from? Unfortunately, solving this problem is not very easy. After all, it's not a matter of choosing between a piece of bread and a bunch of broccoli at lunch. There are carbohydrates that you should avoid and there are carbohydrates that you should include in your diet. But in order to create a balanced diet and avoid problems with insulin, it is necessary to take into account such a component as the glycemic load of food.

The beneficial effects of plant foods on health have traditionally been associated with their content of vitamins, minerals and fiber. More recently, it has been discovered that plant foods contain thousands of other compounds in addition to macronutrients (complex carbohydrates, proteins, fats and fiber) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). It is these components of fruits and vegetables in a person’s diet that determine his health. This array chemicals The plant world was first called phytonutrients, and then phytochemical compounds (PCS). Phytonutrients are active compounds vegetables and fruits that have no nutritional value for humans, but ensure their health.

Why do vegetables and fruits need phytonutrients?

Plants are more susceptible to damaging factors than humans. environment- radiation, toxins, pollution, damage by viruses and bacteria, eating by animals and insects. In order to survive as a species - to survive in unfavorable conditions and produce healthy offspring - nature gave the opportunity to representatives of the plant world to synthesize various types chemical compounds as protective factors against all possible threats to their safety. Each blade of grass contains literally thousands of different chemical protectants. Many of these compounds determine the specific color, taste, and smell of vegetables and fruits. The infinitely wide range of colors of plant products reflects the spectrum of their phytonutrients and, accordingly, possible options for implementing their protection.

Why do humans need phytonutrients?

Tens of thousands of FCS have been identified and characterized chemical properties and classified, their biological activity determined. It turned out that in the human body FCSs work in a similar way - they protect against diseases.

The most studied class of polyphenols (flavonoids, lignans, stilbenes) is a diverse group of PCSs of vegetables, fruits, olive oil and wine. As phytonutrients, polyphenols provide a wide range of protective functions. Including reducing the level of bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol, protecting against oxidative stress, suppressing the growth of cancer cells, and having an anti-inflammatory effect.

A similar effect was found in terpenoids (carotene, lycopene, etc.) - another class of phytonutrients. Adding tomato extract (rich in carotenoids and lycopene) to food reduces the risk of lipid metabolism disorders, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, regulates several blood pressure, reduces bad cholesterol levels.

Organosulfur phytosterols from the cruciferous family and other vegetables and fruits reduce the synthesis of inflammatory molecules in the cells of the immune system and have an antioxidant effect. These phytonutrients (organosulfur, phytosterols) also show a protective effect against atherosclerosis by regulating serum levels of total and good cholesterol.

PCOS such as resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, gingerol, phytosterol and myricetin directly regulate at the molecular level the inflammatory cascade, cell proliferation/migration, oxidative stress and metabolic disorders.

According to WHO recommendations, to maintain optimal health, we should eat at least 400 grams of raw vegetables and fruits per day. Are you following these recommendations? According to statistics, 75% of people do not listen to WHO advice.

How should a healthy person who wants to maintain their health eat? No doctor can answer this question with certainty until he studies the analyzes of this hypothetical person and becomes familiar with his lifestyle and family tree. There are no strict nutrition rules, so we all, to one degree or another, form our diet intuitively.

It would seem that it would be a good idea to plant a vegetable garden: eating healthy is what our ancestors ate from time immemorial. They somehow lived without yogurt, foie gras and dietary supplements. However, we must take into account that our ancestors lived on a slightly different planet.

They had different environmental conditions, a different rhythm of life - and, it should be noted, the average life expectancy was significantly lower than modern life. We have to admit: we are evolving, and this must be consistent even at the nutritional level.

MASSIVE and GOOD

Research recent years show that the human diet has changed greatly. Just 40 years ago, mass production of meat products was established. New breeds of chickens have been developed that are raised indoors, quickly gain weight - and from that moment on... meat products began to become cheaper. If a person of average income at the beginning of the last century treated himself to a roast once a week, now meat is available to the largest part of the population. At the same time, over the past 20 years, vegetables and fruits began to contain 20% less useful substances- also due to mass production.

As a result, an amazing picture emerged: the average person (we don’t take into account the inhabitants of Central Africa) can afford to eat varied and with pleasure, but his diet is heavily “burdened” with meat products, while he does not receive enough vitamins, minerals, and provitamins from plants.

Important! Seasonal vegetables and fruits have the highest concentration of phytonutrients. In our latitudes, seasonal benefits of nature are available only in summer and autumn; the rest of the time you can prepare them from frozen or canned fruits.

EAT A PHYTONUTRIENT!

Nutrition scientists have combined beneficial substances plant origin under the general term - phytonutrients. What are these substances? Their main function is to protect plants from aggressive environmental influences. By consuming them, we have the opportunity to “appropriate” these protective forces.
How are phytonutrient tablets and capsules made? Vegetables, fruits and herbs are grown in ecologically clean areas without the use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides and other harmful substances. The fibers from these plants are removed; everything that remains is dried, mixed, and here you have the phytonutrient in its pure form.

100 g SPINACH or BUCKET OF KIWI?

The concentration of certain phytonutrients can vary greatly in different products. Let's take lutein as an example. We need this phytonutrient to rejuvenate all organs and systems (as it is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes the effects of destructive free radicals), especially to maintain vision. It is found in green vegetables and fruits. Its concentration is highest in spinach. Since a person needs from 6 to 10 mg of lutein per day, following the recommendations of scientists, one should eat 100 g of spinach daily. Or 500 g of green peas, where the concentration of lutein is slightly lower. Or a bucket of kiwi, which contains just a little bit of lutein. Of course, not every one of us is capable of such nutritional feats. Therefore, before modern man There is a need not only to eat right, but also to support the body with the help of dietary supplements containing phytonutrients.

Important! When going on a diet, many ladies even deny themselves vegetable oils. Actually the reason excess weight usually lies not in fats, but in fast carbohydrates. While vegetable fats help in the absorption of phytonutrients. Especially useful olive oil.

EXPERT COMMENT:
Keith Randolph, candidate technical sciences, Lead Research and Development Specialist, Nutrilite Health Institute:

People who want to maintain optimal health must follow very simple rules: first of all, move regularly, secondly, eat right, including plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits in your diet, and replenish phytonutrient deficiencies. Unfortunately, this deficiency is observed in 3 out of 4 people, because we physically cannot spend as much effort and time as required to form a saturated diet rich in all necessary substances. We will have no time to live and work if we carefully select our diet by color and consume it on a schedule. The famous Mediterranean diet is most consistent with WHO recommendations. It contains a huge variety of local vegetables and fruits, fresh seafood, and olive oil. However, very few people on the planet eat this way. Most often, a shortage of vitamins C, A, D, E is recorded all over the world. And this deficiency, of course, affects the state of health.

What substances do I need? Phytonutrients color plants in one color or another: for example, lycopene is present in red vegetables and fruits, carotene is present in yellow and orange ones, and anthocyanidin substances give fruits a dark blue color.

We need each phytonutrient to improve the health of certain organs and systems. To support the body as a whole, we need a balanced set of phytonutrients, that is, our diet must literally be colorful. Here are some examples for creating a color menu.

How should a healthy person who wants to maintain their health eat? No doctor can answer this question with certainty until he studies the analyzes of this hypothetical person and becomes familiar with his lifestyle and family tree.

There are no strict nutrition rules, so we all, to one degree or another, form our diet intuitively.

It would seem like planting a garden: eating healthy is what our ancestors ate from time immemorial. They somehow lived without yoghurt, foie gras and dietary supplements. However, we must take into account that our ancestors lived on a slightly different planet.

They had different environmental conditions, a different rhythm of life - and, it should be noted, the average life expectancy was significantly lower than modern life. We have to admit: we are evolving, and this must be consistent even at the nutritional level.

Massive and good

Research in recent years shows that the human diet has changed greatly. Just 40 years ago, mass production of meat products was established. New breeds of chickens were developed, which are raised indoors, quickly gain weight - and from that moment on, meat products began to become cheaper.

If a person of average income at the beginning of the last century treated himself to a roast once a week, now meat is available to the largest part of the population. At the same time, over the past 20 years, vegetables and fruits began to contain 20% less nutrients - also due to mass production.

As a result, an amazing picture emerged: the average person (we don’t take into account the inhabitants of Central Africa) can afford to eat varied and with pleasure, but his diet is heavily “burdened” with meat products, while he does not receive enough vitamins, minerals, and provitamins from plants.

Eat the phytonutrient!

Nutrition scientists have grouped beneficial plant substances under the general term “phytonutrients.” What are these substances? Their main function is to protect plants from aggressive environmental influences. By consuming them, we have the opportunity to “appropriate” these protective forces.

How are phytonutrient tablets and capsules made? Vegetables, fruits and herbs are taken that are grown in ecologically clean areas without the use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides and other harmful substances. The fibers from these plants are removed; everything that remains is dried, mixed, and here you have the phytonutrient in its pure form.

100 g spinach or a bucket of kiwi?

Expert commentary

Keith Randolph, Ph.D., Lead Research and Development Specialist, Nutrilite Health Institute:

— People who want to maintain optimal health must follow very simple rules: first of all, move regularly, secondly, eat right, including plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits in your diet, and replenish phytonutrient deficiencies. Unfortunately, this deficiency is observed in 3 out of 4 people, because we physically cannot spend as much effort and time as required to form a saturated diet rich in all necessary substances. We will have no time to live and work if we carefully select our diet by color and consume it on a schedule. The famous Mediterranean diet is most consistent with WHO recommendations. It contains a huge variety of local vegetables and fruits, fresh seafood, and olive oil. However, very few people on the planet eat this way. Most often, a shortage of vitamins C, A, D, E is recorded all over the world. And this deficiency, of course, affects the state of health.

What substances do I need?

Phytonutrients color plants in one color or another: for example, lycopene is present in red vegetables and fruits, carotene is present in yellow and orange ones, and anthocyanidin substances give fruits a dark blue color.

We need each phytonutrient to improve the health of certain organs and systems. To support the body as a whole, we need a balanced set of phytonutrients, that is, our diet must literally be colorful. Here are some examples for creating a color menu.

Vegetables and fruits are the key to health and longevity

It is no coincidence that the World Health Organization recommends adding at least 400 g of vegetables and fruits to your diet daily: they are the sources of plant antioxidants, or phytonutrients, that help the body resist negative external influences. How do they protect us? We'll tell you in detail!

It’s hard to imagine, but while we are busy with everyday worries, at the same time our body is waging a fierce battle against oxidative stress. This is a dangerous process during which free radicals are formed that pose a threat to our health. They damage cells and their components, such as proteins and DNA, which can subsequently lead to organ damage and development various diseases. Herbalife experts explain how this happens:

But nature provided for everything and did not leave us defenseless in the face of this danger. Our body has a defense system that works thanks to antioxidants. To strengthen it, we need to enrich our diet with fruits and vegetables. They contain phytonutrients, that is, substances of plant origin, most of which are beneficial due to their antioxidant properties.

Phytonutrients first protect the cells of the plants themselves from damage, and then, getting into human body with food, they also help him fight free radicals. Interestingly, many phytonutrients are pigment molecules - it is thanks to them that fruits and vegetables have one color or another. Thus, appearance of a product can tell us which beneficial substances it contains and how it can be useful to the body.

What do the colors of plant products tell us?

Red

The red color of foods comes from phytonutrients such as lipokine.

It is contained in tomatoes, red grapefruits, watermelon. Also present in Herbalife Tomato Basil Soup - it is ideal for lunches and dinners, allowing you to eat a balanced diet and control weight, and also protects the body thanks to lipokine.

Lipokine helps strengthen cardiovascular system, reduce the risk of cancer. It is better absorbed if it enters the body along with fats.

Orange

Products containing phytonutrients such as: carotene.

It is contained in carrots, pumpkin, bananas, melon, bell pepper. Also included in the Herbalife complex is Schisandra - it contains powerful antioxidants to support the body's natural defenses, including beta-carotene and vitamins A and C.

Carotene helps strengthen the immune system, bones, improve the functioning of the heart and digestive organs, improve vision, and is also responsible for the beauty and health of skin, hair and nails.

Green

One of the phytonutrients that makes foods green is lutein

It is contained in broccoli, spinach, kale, parsley, sorrel.

Lutein helps protect vision and prevent the development of age-related eye diseases.

Another green phytonutrient is chlorophyll.

It is contained in cucumbers, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, arugula, onions, kiwi. Also present in the Herbalife RoseGard complex - its formula is supplemented with cruciferous vegetables, which include broccoli and cabbage. RoseGard also contains turmeric, which is rich in another antioxidant - beta-carotene. The RoseGuard complex was created specifically to protect the body from oxidative stress, prolong the youth of cells and prevent premature aging.

Chlorophyll helps to avoid problems with blood circulation, strengthen blood vessels, improve functioning digestive system. It also has disinfectant and wound-healing effects.

White

Gives white color to products quercetin.

It is found in onions, cauliflower, apples, and coconut.

Quercetin helps fight allergic reactions and relieve swelling. Also promotes the absorption of vitamin C.

Blue

This color indicates the content in the products anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins help reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood, increase the elasticity of blood vessels, reduce the risk of the occurrence and development of arthritis, eye diseases, and cancer. They also stimulate brain activity.

Violet

Resveratrol- a phytonutrient that gives foods their purple tint.

It is contained in grapes

Resveratrol helps fight bacteria and inflammation, reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

We have listed some of the most important phytonutrients. In reality, there are much more of them - more than 5 thousand are known to science! But for our health, we need to get at least the basics from food, which is already not easy in the conditions modern culture nutrition. Not every one of us eats several types of vegetables and fruits every day, following the recommendations of the World Health Organization. But you need to strive for this in order to maintain beauty and health for as long as possible. So don't forget to eat fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as add them to your meals - this will add variety to your diet and make it balanced!