What Puts the ''Super'' in Superfoods?

The term "superfood" gets used a lot these days. One day it's blueberries. Then it's açaí. Then come the walnuts and flaxseeds, the green tea, the broccoli, and the avocados. A cavalcade of nutritious foods, to be sure, but what makes a food "super" anyway? Does it cure disease? Does it make you stronger or smarter? Does it make you run faster or live longer?

It's not too hard to believe, but no formal definition for "superfood" yet exists. That said, foods high in phytochemicals seem to be the ones most often noted for their "super" health benefits. Foods found on the phytochemical-rich list include fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and teas.

Phytochemicals are sometimes called phytonutrients. That's because phytochemicals are nutrients that plants need but they are not the traditional nutrients (such as vitamins and minerals) that are essential for human life. The theory is that by eating plants with phytochemicals, we get some protection that they provide for the plants themselves.

Take a tomato, for instance. A specific phytochemical found in tomatoes, lycopene, protects the plants from damage that can be caused during photosynthesis. And studies have shown that men who eat more tomatoes and tomato products may have lower risk of prostate cancer. Other phytonutrients have been touted as antioxidants, healthy heart supporters, immune boosters, and cancer killers.

But evidence remains limited that phytonutrients should get all the "super" credit for those benefits. For people who eat diets filled with fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, phytochemicals are just part of a complex combination of nutrients.

Is there one magic ingredient that unlocks the mystery of good health? Or does the greatest benefit lie in eating phytonutrient-containing superfoods in their natural form? It's hard to tell for sure. But if research results are any indication, it seems you can get more bang for your nutritional buck by eating your phytonutrients rather than taking them in supplement form. That's the way most nutritionists recommend you get them, too.

Read on to learn more about a few specific phytochemicals – carotenoids, flavonoids, and phytoestrogens – that you can find in abundance in healthy foods you should already be eating!

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Of all the different phytochemicals, we probably know the most about carotenoids. Carotenoids are plant pigments, giving many fruits and vegetables their red, orange, or yellow colour. Some types of carotenoids, such as alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, are actually converted into vitamin A in the body. You eat plenty of those when you munch on carrots, leafy greens, and other yellow or orange vegetables like broccoli, pumpkin, and sweet potato.

The more mysterious carotenoids are lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. They cannot be converted into vitamin A like other carotenoids. But like the others, they may flex their nutritional power as antioxidants – or maybe not. How these carotenoids work is still not clear, though research has revealed some promising potential health benefits.

Lycopene
Lycopene is the vegetable pigment that puts the red blush on tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, and bell peppers. Studies have found that men who eat a lot of lycopene-rich tomatoes and tomato products were less likely to develop prostate cancer than men with lower intakes of the red phytochemical. Lycopene may also help to slow the progression of existing prostate cancer. As with any research into the benefits of fruits and vegetables, the goods on lycopene should be considered just one small piece of the nutrition puzzle. You should eat tomatoes because they also burst with vitamin C, folate, and potassium. Any other potential benefits are just sauce on the spaghetti!

Lutein and zeaxanthin
Green, leafy vegetables need lutein and zeaxanthin to shield them from too much blue light, which is part of the visible light of the sun – the light that makes the sky look blue. Our eyes may be damaged by too much blue light. And as lutein and zeaxanthin protect spinach, so might they protect our eyes. Studies suggest that eating a diet rich in lutein and zeaxanthin may slow the progression of age-related eye damage like macular degeneration and cataracts. You can find these two visionary carotenoids in lots of leafy greens.

What to eat to get more carotenoids:

• tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato soup
• guava
• apricots
• mangoes
• papaya
• watermelon
• pink grapefruit
• bell peppers
• spinach, kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens
• summer and winter squash
• peas
• broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• sweet potatoes

Tip: Heating tomatoes in oil makes lycopene more available to be absorbed by your body.

All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/What-Puts-the-Super-in-Superfoods

The term flavonoid encompasses many different plant pigments. You may be eating flavonoids and not even realize it if you eat berries or chocolate or if you drink wine or tea.

Some flavonoids give flowers their colour, some protect plants from insect attacks, and some have qualities that may benefit human health. Beyond their antioxidant power, flavonoids appear to be able to improve the way cells in our bodies work. Studies have shown that flavonoids may help prevent cancer by helping to detoxify our cells of potentially carcinogenic chemicals and by inhibiting the invasion of tumour cells into healthy cells. Flavonoids may also support good cardiovascular health by decreasing the inflammation that can lead to atherosclerosis, a heart attack risk.

The flavonoid family of plant pigments consists of lots of similarly-named categories – flavanols, flavanones, flavonols, isoflavones, and flavones... to name a few! Two of the more famous flavonoids are anthocyanins and catechins.

Anthocyanins lend a purple or red colour to fruits like berries (including blueberries and açaí berries) and grapes (as well as the wine that some grapes become). Catechins can be found in chocolate, grapes, berries, and apples, and their presence in tea has given the drink a strong reputation as an antioxidant, especially green tea. Several studies showed that people who drink 5 to 6 cups of tea per day have a lower heart disease death rate than those who had a lower intake of flavonoid-rich foods and drinks.

A special kind of phytochemical called resveratrol is often mentioned alongside flavonoids. It has been linked to heart health and cancer prevention, though there is still no definitive evidence that the benefits can be found from simply eating or drinking it in grapes, berries, or red wine. Resveratrol has also sparked interest as a potential fountain of longevity, though studies have only been done on worms, fruit flies, and fish.

What to consume to get more flavonoids or resveratrol:

• blackberries, blueberries, grapes, raspberries, strawberries
• red wine
• plums
• cabbage
• red onion
• green tea, black tea
• chocolate
• apples
• apricots
• parsley
• thyme
• celery
• oregano
• chili pepper
• lemon juice
• grapefruit juice, orange juice
• yellow onion
• kale
• leeks
• broccoli

All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/What-Puts-the-Super-in-Superfoods

Phytoestrogens, a type of flavonoid, are plant compounds that happen to be molecularly similar to estrogen, the hormone primarily produced in a woman's ovaries. Other areas of the body, such as fat tissue and adrenal glands also produce estrogen, and both men and women have estrogen. Because of this structural kinship, phytoestrogens can do some of the same things that estrogen can do, just not as strongly.

In plants, phytoestrogens protect against insects or fungus. In humans, phytoestrogens may lower levels of bad cholesterol, reduce risk of heart disease and certain kinds of cancers, soothe menopausal hot flashes, and curb bone density loss. But all evidence is, as of yet, inconclusive.

Even without absolute scientific proof, foods loaded with phytoestrogens are worth eating. That's because they are usually high in other important nutrients, too. A lot of the phytoestrogens we eat are lignans, which can be found in lots of healthy plant-based foods, including broccoli, tofu, strawberries, whole grains, and several kinds of seeds. Flaxseeds sit atop the lignan pile, and they're also a super source of heart-supportive omega-3 fatty acids and fibre.

Soy isoflavones make up a large part of our phytoestrogen food sources. On average, people living in Asia get 11 mg to 47 mg of soy isoflavones each day, mostly from soy products like tofu, tempeh, or edamame. In Western countries, it's much lower – only 2 mg per day. Considering the lower rates of breast cancer in Asian countries, it makes sense that researchers have tried to find the link between soy isoflavone intake and risk.

What to eat to get more phytoestrogens:

• flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds
• whole grains (rye, oats, barley)
• curly kale
• broccoli
• apricots
• cabbage
• Brussels sprouts
• strawberries
• tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy alternatives to dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese)

All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/What-Puts-the-Super-in-Superfoods