Cebu City - The human body is susceptible to various kinds of diseases. The good thing is nature has its way in helping the human body in warding off these kinds of diseases. Phytonutrients is considered as “nature’s natural defense”. They are natural compounds found in plant foods namely vegetables, fruits and whole grain products and legumes. Also, phytonutrients are responsible for the colors in fruits and vegetables.

Phytonutrients have antioxidant properties that helps in the protection of the cells in our body. Also, there are some phytonutrients that can help in the prevention of cancer and have anti-inflammatory properties that leads to a healthy body. These are some examples of phytonutrients that is beneficial to body:

Carotenoids - for eye health and immunity,

Flavanoids- for cancer and cardiovascular disease protection, and

Glucosinolates- for cancer protection and help in the elimination of toxins from the body.

Increasing the number of phytonutrient-rich sources in the diet can boost antioxidant activity thus increasing certain immune responses and it results to healthy aging. It is essential to add more food sources of phytonutrients in our diet because of its health benefits and it should be consumed in whole foods if possible. There are supplements that contain phytonutrients, but it is still advised to get these nutrients from whole foods since in some rare cases, it can be toxic. // PDO I Noah Vincent D. Gallo, RND

Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/phytonutrients-faq

https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Vitamins-and-Minerals/Phytonutrients-%E2%80%93-Nature%E2%80%99s-Natural-Defense.aspx