Phytonutrient Spectrum Comprehensive Guide
Why Phytonutrients?
Phytonutrients or phytochemicals, also known as natural compounds, are components of plants that are powerful defenders of health. Studies show that eating more plant foods is associated with better brain health and lower inflammation and it also helps reduce risks of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Phytonutrients support the immune system, improve heart and blood vessel health, support brain health, and promote healthy estrogen metabolism in the human body. To promote good health, it is important to eat fruits and vegetables of varied colors each day because eating at least one serving of each color per day is an excellent goal to strive for!
Touring Through the Phytonutrient Food List
Red foods include phytonutrients that may help reduce the risk of some cancers while also protecting the brain, blood vessels, and heart.
The Food List: Red Foods
There is a vast selection of red foods for you to choose from on the food list. Eating the skin of red foods, like apples and potatoes, will provide you with more phytonutrients. Strawberries are beneficial in improving inflammation, particularly in people with osteoarthritis.
FEATURED RED PHYTONUTRIENT
Lycopene
Lycopene is a red-colored phytonutrient. It is typically found in tomatoes and tomato-based products such as tomato juice, spaghetti sauce, tomato soup, and tomato paste. Cooked tomato products result in lycopene being more "available" to the body.
Ways to get more red foods:
Add fresh tomatoes, goji berries, raspberries, pomegranate seeds, or pink grapefruit sections to your green salads.
If you eat pasta, use marinara (red) sauce instead of an Alfredo (white) sauce to increase your lycopene and reduce your saturated fat intake. You can also use marinara sauce on vegetables.
Make a Mediterranean salad with tomatoes, olives, garlic, herbs, and feta cheese.
Prepare salsa using chopped tomatoes, chopped red onions, and chili peppers.
If you drink juice, try blood orange, grapefruit, and/or guava juice.
Make a chili with kidney beans and tomato sauce.
Great snack ideas include watermelon slices, raspberries, cherries, strawberries, and apple slices.
Prepare bruschetta using chopped tomatoes and red onion with fresh basil.
ORANGE
Orange foods are anti-inflammatory, and they help protect the blood vessels, heart, and brain.
The Food List: Orange Foods
Dry fruits purchased from the store will most likely have sugar and/or sulfites added. Read the label carefully to be sure there is no added sugar or sulfites if you are sensitive to them. Turmeric contains curcuminoids, which are potent anti-inflammatory compounds that are beneficial for heart health.
FEATURED ORANGE PHYTONUTRIENT
Beta-Carotene
Beta-carotene is important because it can turn into vitamin A in the body. Most food sources of vitamin A are of animal origins such as seafood, eggs, fish, and dairy products like yogurt, milk, and cheese. To absorb the most carotenoids possible from your food, cooking foods like carrots will be important. Cooking carotenoid-containing vegetables allows heat to "free" them from the food to be absorbed.
Ways to get more orange foods:
Have a baked sweet potato instead of a baked white potato.
Sprinkle turmeric powder onto tofu and vegetable stir-fry.
Put orange slices into your water pitcher.
Drink carrot and/or orange juice instead of soft drinks.
Have a clementine, tangerine, nectarine, or peach as a mid-morning or afternoon snack.
Puree carrots, butternut squash, and/or pumpkin and use as a soup base.
Make a tropical fruit smoothie containing fresh, cubed mango, papaya, or orange in a base of nut milk with your choice of protein powder.
Make a trail mix containing dried orange fruits like apricots, mango, and papaya.
YELLOW
Yellow foods are beneficial because they contain anti-inflammatory compounds, and they may protect the eyes and heart.
The Food List: Yellow Foods
Like the other categories, it is recommended that you get a variety of yellow foods. Yellow foods like bananas, sweetcorn, and potatoes are starchy and should be eaten with protein and fat to support blood sugar balance. Gold kiwis have been shown to improve bowel function and digestive discomfort. Natural plant-based sources of fiber, like kiwi and prunes, are better tolerated than isolated fiber supplements, such as psyllium.
FEATURED YELLOW PHYTONUTRIENT
Lutein & Zeaxanthin
A good yellow food source of lutein is corn. Some green foods like kale and spinach also contain these important carotenoids. Lutein and zeaxanthin are fat-soluble, so they need fat to be absorbed by the body. A drizzle of olive oil or a few slices of avocado would be a great way to add healthy fat.
Ways to get more yellow foods:
Slice a banana into your warm oatmeal cereal.
Keep frozen corn kernels on hand and add them to stir-fries, rice and bean dishes, and, when warmed up slightly, even sprinkled on a chicken salad.
Have slices of a Golden Delicious apple or an Asian pear as a mid-morning or afternoon snack together with a thin layer of nut butter (e.g. almond butter or cashew nut butter).
Add diced yellow bell pepper to a vegetable stir-fry.
Grate ginger into a stir-fry of vegetables like snap peas, cabbage, and carrots.
Make a ginger tea with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Have pineapple slices as a dessert.
GREEN
Green foods are healthy because they contain compounds that are anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and may protect the brain, heart, blood vessels, and bones.
The Food List: Green Foods
There are many green fruits and vegetables available to maximize your phytonutrient intake. Research suggests it may also help liver and blood vessel health, as well as anti-cancer benefits. Eating 1-2 servings per day of green leafy vegetables is said could increase longevity by a whopping 11 years!
FEATURED GREEN PHYTONUTRIENT
Glucosinolates
The class of phytonutrients which make cruciferous vegetables so beneficial for health is called glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are responsible for these vegetables' sulfur aroma. These activated compounds help enhance the body's natural detoxification systems, which reduces the risk of developing cancer. Eating these vegetables either raw, lightly sautéed, or steamed is best to retain the full array of nutrients.
Ways to get more green foods:
Have an avocado in your salad or on top of a grilled chicken breast.
Make a stir-fry with bok choy, broccolini, carrots, and edamame.
Have a cup of green tea instead of coffee.
Use extra virgin olive oil instead of refined vegetable oils like corn and soybean oils.
To meat and vegetable dishes, add more green-colored herbs and spices like rosemary, oregano, dill, and thyme.
Make guacamole with fresh coriander, green pepper, and avocado.
Toss some greens into your morning smoothie.
Make grilled brussel sprouts and drizzle with olive oil.
Add green olives, green peas, cucumber, and celery into a salad.
Have diced asparagus and spinach in your morning omelet.
Squeeze fresh lime into your water.
Make soup with bitter melon, celery, and beet greens
BLUE/PURPLE/BLACK
Blue/purple/black foods from nature are healthy because they contain anti-inflammatory compounds, and they may protect the heart, bone, liver, and blood vessels.
The Food List: Blue/Purple/Black Foods
The blue/purple/black fruits include blueberries, blackberries, huckleberries, and marionberries. There are also purple varieties of certain vegetables like bell pepper, carrots, potatoes, and cauliflower. These selections are more phytonutrient-dense compared with their most commonly found forms.
FEATURED BLUE/PURPLE/BLACK PHYTONUTRIENT
Anthocyanins
Anthocyanins are phytonutrients that provide the blue/purple/black color to plants, such as blackberries and blueberries. There are several health benefits associated with eating foods rich in these nutrients, including reduced risk of heart disease and improved cognition. One study showed that eating blueberries daily led to reduced pain and stiffness in people with knee osteoarthritis.
Ways to get more blue/purple/black foods:
Have berries in a smoothie.
Add blueberries or blackberries to yogurt, oatmeal, breakfast cereal, and pancakes/waffles.
Try purple kale instead of the usual green kale.
Make a stir-fry with purple vegetables like aubergine, purple potatoes, and complement with purple rice.
Substitute purple or black rice for white rice.
Try shredding some purple cabbage into salads for additional color and purple phytonutrients.
Make purple carrot puree and use as a base for soups or sauces.
Snack on figs, plums, raisins, and berries.
WHITE/TAN/BROWN
White/tan/brown foods have been shown to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activity.
The Food List: White/Tan/Brown Foods
White/tan/brown fruits include apples, coconut, dates, lychees, and pears. Whole grains like brown rice, wild rice, millet, and quinoa are good substitutes for gluten-containing grains. Coffee and black tea have been shown to have cognitive benefits.
Some claim that caffeine can make arteries stiffer, however other studies have shown coffee has a positive effect on blood vessel health. Dark chocolate contains phytonutrients that are helpful for heart and blood vessels health. Mushrooms are considered to have significant medicinal benefits because of their ability to help the immune system (check out my blog on medicinal mushroom teas here).
FEATURED WHITE/TAN/BROWN PHYTONUTRIENT
Lignans
Lignans are not to be confused with another phytonutrient class called lignins, which are related to fiber. Lignan-rich flaxseeds support digestive health and heart health. Other good sources of lignans include cashew nuts, peanuts, and sunflower seeds.
Ways to get more white/tan/brown foods:
Add some cocoa powder to your smoothie.
Add brown spices (cinnamon, clove, allspice) to your cooking and baking.
Use dates instead of refined sweeteners to sweeten dishes.
Add diced onion to a stir-fry.
Drizzle warm tahini over vegetables (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower, carrots).
Dip vegetables into hummus (ground chickpea dip) or bean dip.
Add mushrooms to broths and soups for more flavor and medicinal impact.
Sprinkle sesame seeds on a vegetable stir-fry
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Phytonutrients: What Are They and Why Should You Eat Them?
Phytonutrients are non-nutritive, which means they do not supply calories like proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Eating more of these plants can lower rates of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and other chronic health conditions. It can also improve immune function, as well as have psychological benefits.
How Can I Get More Phytonutrients in My Diet?
Starting by observing your meals and the colors ate each day and aiming to eat the full seven colors every day is an excellent goal.
Here are some simple ways to jump start getting more phytonutrients in your everyday eating:
Make it your goal to try one new plant food (fruit, vegetable, nut, seed, legume, whole grain) per week. Try different cuisines from around the world for greater variety.
Stock up on frozen vegetables for easy cooking. Frozen berries tend to retain their phytonutrients. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli are least desirable for freezing.
Use fruits and vegetables that go bad quickly first. Save hardier varieties for later in the week.
Keep a bowl or container of fresh cut vegetables on the top shelf of refrigerator, within easy reach.
Keep fruit bowl on the kitchen counter, table, and desk at work.
Bring fruit and vegetables with you to work to eat as a snack.
Choose fruit for dessert (berry compotes, fruit salads, etc.).
Have dishes with lots of vegetable variety (e.g. soup, stir-fry).
Use vegetable and mushroom-based sauces.
Dip vegetables into herb-packed sauces such as pesto, chimichurri, gremolata, or chermoula.
Try mashed cauliflower as a substitute for mashed white potatoes.
Toss red peppers, tomatoes, garlic, onions or broccoli into omelets.
Add rinds of oranges or lemons to water, chicken, and fish.
Try a little bit of every color at a salad bar.
Be generous with your use of spices!
Where can I find phytonutrients? Can I just take a supplement?
They are found in a wide variety of plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and spices. Eating these foods whole provides many other health-promoting compounds including fiber, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
Are some foods higher in phytonutrients than others?
Yes, some plant foods provide more phytonutrients than others. Substituting white rice with purple, brown, or black rice provides a wider array of nutrients than just eating white rice daily.
How many servings of phytonutrient-rich foods should I be eating every day?
At least 9 servings per day are recommended to prevent chronic disease. A typical serving is half a cup of cooked vegetables, one cup of raw leafy vegetables, or a medium-sized piece of fruit. It would be best to aim for 3 servings at every meal.
Is Variety that Important?
One helpful tip is to try a new food every week to ensure getting as many phytonutrients as possible.
When Do I Eat Plant Foods Raw and When Do I Cook Them?
People with compromised digestion (bloating, constipation, IBD/IBS, gas, and pain) will often do better with more cooked plant foods. Raw foods are typically eaten in the summer months and cooked foods are best in the winter when it is cold outside. Aside from seasonal and symptomatic concerns, the preparation of plant foods to enhance absorption depends on the phytonutrient.
Here are some general guidelines:
Carotenoids, found in red, orange, yellow, and green foods, typically do better with heat preparation and when eaten with some fat/oil.
Steaming or waterless cooking of vegetables preserves nutrients better than boiling or other heating methods.
Cook to the point of making the vegetables tender and not mushy.
Using heat, mechanical processing, soaking, fermentation, and germination/malting when it comes to foods like seeds, nuts, and legumes can increase the availability of phytonutrients and decrease the content of plant nutrients that are not beneficial, like phytate, goitrogens, and thiaminases.
Eating cruciferous vegetables raw, or very lightly cooked is best to preserve the enzyme that produces anti-cancer compounds.
The antioxidant content increases in the following foods when they are cooked: carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, red cabbage, green and red peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes.
Overall, steaming is the preferred method of cooking since it results in the biggest increase in antioxidant content.
Peeling skins of apples and cucumbers reduces their antioxidant content significantly.
It is not advisable to pre-soak vegetables before cooking as nutrients are lost in the water.
Should I Be Using More Spices and Herbs?
The answer is definitely YES! Spices provide phytonutrients that protect cells, reduce inflammation, and provide many other health benefits. When it comes to purchasing spices, avoid fillers (e.g., sugar, maltodextrin, gluten, artificial colors, preservatives, synthetic anti-caking agents).
Here are some other tips on buying herbs and spices:
If you buy spices in bulk, store them in air-tight glass or tin containers. Don’t buy large quantities – only what you will use within 6-12 months.
You can buy herbs and spices in their fresh, dried, whole, cracked, coarsely ground, and finely ground forms.
Store in a cool, dark place. Heat, light, and moisture will accelerate loss of flavor. High temperatures can cause spices to cake or harden and change or lose color.
Don’t let them sit around the stove. Close container well after using.
Under ideal conditions, ground spices will keep for about a year and whole spices for 2-3 years.
To test, rub between fingers to detect presence of aroma.
Roast slowly before grinding for maximum impact.
Ways to get more herbs and spices in your eating:
Add to smoothies.
Make tea and add to smoothies.
Combine finely chopped garlic and basil to extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice as a salad dressing.
Add fresh herbs such as coriander, chives, basil or mint to salads or sandwiches.
Sprinkle cumin or fennel seeds in soups or salads.
Marinate lean meats in curry powder or curry pastes.
Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over granola or wholegrain toast for breakfast, steamed soymilk, and even on vegetables.
Add fresh parsley or chives to scrambled eggs.
Stew fruits with cinnamon stick and a vanilla pod.
Steep lemongrass, ginger or mint in hot water.
Add freshly grated garlic to mayonnaise.
Add fresh or dried herbs to your favorite pasta dish.
What About Frozen Fruits and Vegetables?
Freezing foods can reduce flavor, and the final nutrient content will depend on the initial quality of the food. There are some concerns with freezing as the blanching process that occurs before freezing can result in a loss of vitamin C and B vitamins.
Should I Be Eating Dried Fruits Rather than Fresh Fruits?
In general, fresh fruits are higher in phytonutrients in comparison to dried fruits. Eating dried fruit will result in consuming more calories than if you ate the same amount of fruit fresh. Sweeteners are often added to dried fruit, especially cranberries which are extremely tart.
Why Should I Eat Organically-Grown Food?
Growing foods organically excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators, and additives to livestock feed. Eating organically may also reduce your exposure to hormones, antibiotics, and potentially harmful irradiated food. Less antibiotic use may help to avoid the development of antibiotic resistance.
Easy Ways to Reduce Your Pesticide Intake:
Buy organically-grown produce.
Don’t over-consume foods that concentrate toxins (animal fat, meat, eggs, cheese, milk).
Try to buy local produce, in season.
Peel off the skin or remove outer layer of leaves of some produce like lettuce or onions.
Remove surface pesticide residues, waxes, fungicides, and fertilizers by washing fruits and vegetables in a mild solution of additive-free soap (pure castile soap, biodegradable cleanser). Use a scrub brush.
Wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after preparing fresh produce.
Cut away any damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating.
Wash produce before you peel it, so dirt and bacteria aren’t transferred from the knife onto the fruit or vegetable.
Dry produce with a clean cloth or paper towel to further reduce bacteria that may be present.
