There is no doubt that food can act as a natural medicine, your dinner can determine your destiny. Polyphenol-rich foods found in fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds are a pharmacy to enhance your body’s “chemistry set”, moving the needle away from inflammation and disease and toward healing and vitality. A long life free of illness can be found at the end of your fork.
To be honest we really don’t need to eat too much, simple plant based food can give us so much of what we require. Throw into that some great omega 3 ingredients, and food can be at its best.
Plant-based foods such as blueberries, acai berries, spinach and broccoli are so powerful because they are high in polyphenols. Polyphenols are a group of plant-based chemicals that have at least one phenol. One type of polyphenols is phenolic acids including red fruits, onions, coffee, cereals and spices.
Polyphenols improve your health in several ways including lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.
The second group is the flavonoids, including isoflavones found in soy, anthocyanidins in berries and wine, flavones in herbs, flavonols in broccoli, tomato and tea, flavanones in citrus fruits and juices, and flavan-3-ols in cocoa, tea and wine.
Finally, the famous ones don’t fit into any class, including resveratrol and stilbenes from wine and nuts, curcumin in spices, and lignansP in linseeds.
The evidence for the benefits of foods rich in polyphenols comes from hundreds of studies. One example reported that a higher intake of polyphenols, particularly stilbenes from grapes and nuts and lignans from linseed, was associated with a longer lifespan.
In another study, healthier arteries were found in those who ate raw or al-dente vegetables and avoided dairy products. Consumption of fresh fruit, wine and avoidance of animal products was also associated with less inflammation. Intake of flavonoid-rich foods such as bran, apples, pears, grapefruit, strawberries, red wine and chocolate was associated with a lower risk of heart disease.
10 foods high in polyphenols are celery, dark chocolate, linseed, sage, rosemary, thyme, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and coffee.
Aim for 7-10 serving per day of brightly coloured vegetables and fruit per day for a healthier life!
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Kumud Gandhi is a Nutritional Food Scientist bestselling Author, Broadcaster, and Keynote Speaker on the subject of nutritional health for productivity & performance in the workplace. In 2010 Kumud founded ‘The Cooking Academy’ a cookery school that focusses on cooking for nutritional health and wellbeing. Kumud regularly presents to international audiences on a variety of topics such as ‘Eating for Immunity and a Lifetime of Wellness’. She is an expert in the field of Wellness in the Workplace and works with organizations to create transformational change in employee health & well-being through nutrition and health coaching.
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