There are a very interesting group of things called Phytonutrients which can be divided into two groups, Flavonoids and Carotenoids. They have not as yet been promoted to the dizzy heights of being an essential nutrient however they are pretty useful. These are the building blocks of our health and I would say are the unsung heroes of our diets. They are found in naturally colored foods i.e. not Haribo but foods that brighten up your fridge like peppers and chilies. The orange, red and yellow pigments are the Caretenoids and the Flavonoids are the darker blues and purple coloured foods although they tend to be found in small amounts in almost everything. These little things are not only the support system for the metabolic processes that occur in our bodies but they are also the warriors whizzing around absorbing energy from free radicals.
Without boring you with too much detail free radicals require energy so attempt to steal it off healthy body cells which leaves behind greatly damaged cells. Antioxidants counteract this by donating their energy to the free radical rendering it benign. Whilst Phytonutrients on their own can behave as antioxidants one of their main roles is to support other 'essential' nutrients such as Vitamins In particular Vitamin C and E benefit from the support of the Phytonutrients. They have been shown to be an important part of day to day health and it has been suggested that they help to prevent very serious diseases such as Cancer and Heart diseases.
The moral of the story is make your diet as colourful as you can… xx
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