Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals are chemicals produced by plants that affect health, but are not essential nutrients. Up until recently, there was not enough evidence to support the idea that phytochemicals produced health benefits in diets that consist of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts. Diets rich in phytochemicals reduce the risk of various types of cancer, heart disease, as well as other illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. According to Dr. Little-White at http://jamaicagleaner.com/gleaner/20111020/cook/cook3.html, "add phytofoods to your diet and experience renewed health in your life.”

Some phytochemicals and their sources are:

Phytochemical	source
Flavonoids	citrus fruits, cranberries,
	chives, parsley, tomato, apricot
Carotenoids	carrots, pumpkins, maize, tangerine, orange, eggs, red pepper, pumpkin, mango, papaya
Monoterpenes	rosemary, ginger, basil
Phenolic acids	mango, strawberries, chilli peppers
Hydroxycinnamic acids	aloe vera, thyme, pineapple, coffee,
Lignans (phytoestrogens)	blackcurrants, broccoli, carrots.
Tyrosol esters	Olive oil

References

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/032463_phytochemicals_health_benefits.html#ixzz1benzeHCn