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The colors in food are not just for decoration. Phytonutrients, also known as phytochemicals, are components that are responsible for the color, taste and aroma of a type of food. Phytonutrients (phytonutrients) come from Greek, phyto means plants. Phytonutrients are only found in foods derived from plants, especially vegetables, fruit, nuts, and tea.
Unlike carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, phytonutrients are not actually essential nutrients needed by the body. Even so, phytonutrients can help reduce the risk of disease and help the body work optimally. More than 25,000 phytonutrients are found in food. You are advised to eat a wide variety of foods, especially fruit vegetables that have a variety of colors, to benefit from each of the phytonutrients in these foods. Broadly speaking, phytonutrients can help prevent disease by:
- Serves as an antioxidant
- Maximizing the work of the immune system
- Helps meet the needs of vitamins (especially vitamin A)
- Trigger cancer cell death,
- Repair the structure of DNA damaged by free radicals
- Detoxifies carcinogenic compounds from the body
Here are some types of phytonutrients that you need to know.
Carotenoids
There are more than 600 types of phytonutrients which are included in carotenoids. The majority of carotenoids give fruit vegetables their yellow, orange, and red colors. Carotenoid type phytonutrients act as antioxidants in your body. Antioxidants function to counteract the effects of free radicals which can usually damage cells and body tissues, causing disease. The type of carotenoid you are most familiar with could be beta carotene, which is abundant in carrots and good for eye health. But not only beta carotene, other types of carotenoids such as alpha carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin also helps meet your vitamin A needs.
Alpha carotene, beta carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin is a type of carotenoid that is classified as a precursor to vitamin A, which means that when it enters the body it can then be converted into vitamin A. Vitamin A helps the immune system work and of course helps maintain the health of your eyes. Carrots, pumpkin, papaya are several types of fruit vegetables that are rich in beta carotene and alpha carotene.
Another type of carotenoid is lycopene. Found in abundance in watermelon and tomatoes, this phytonutrient gives vegetables and fruit their red color. Lycopene is antioxidant and can protect you from the risk of heart disease and prostate cancer.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are also part of the type of carotenoid. Although they are more abundant in green vegetables (such as kale and spinach), eggs, and citrus fruits (oranges, lemons) these two types of carotenoids can protect you from eye diseases such as cataracts, for example, because lutein and zeaxanthin can absorb bluish light that is gets into the eyes and is harmful to the eyes.
Flavonoids
Found in a wide variety of foodstuffs of plant origin, flavonoids usually do not provide color pigments. It functions as an antioxidant and maintains your overall health. Several types of flavonoids, namely:
- Catechins: commonly found in green tea, the catechins in tea have a component called EGCg and are one of the strongest types of antioxidants that can block the harmful effects of free radicals.
- Hesperidin: found in citrus fruits, this type of phytonutrient works by reducing inflammation in the body so that it can inhibit degenerative diseases.
- Flavanols: found in apples, kale, onions, and chocolate, flavanols can help reduce the risk of asthma and coronary heart disease.
Glucosinolates
Found in many types of cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, kale, broccoli), this type of phytonutrient is the most commonly associated with cancer prevention. Giving a distinctive color and aroma to vegetables, glucosinolates work by activating enzymes that function to detoxify carcinogens (compounds that can cause cancer) from the body.
When cells in plants are injured (either from cooking or chewing), an enzyme called myrosinase will break down glucosinolates into isothiocynates. This compound functions to counteract the effects of carcinogenic compounds in the body by reducing the level of malignancy and detoxifying these carcinogenic compounds. Recently, a study showed that isothiocynates exhibit anti-tumor properties by inhibiting tumor cells from reproducing.
Betalain
There are two types of betalain, namely betaxanthin and betacyanin. Betalain plays a role in giving yellow to purplish red. As the name implies, betalain (especially betacyanin) is abundant in beets. This type of phytonutrient is antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and helps the detoxification process in the body. Based on research results, the pigments found in beets can reduce the growth of tumor cells. The tumor cell types studied were colon tumors, stomach tumors, lung tumors, breast tumors, and prostate tumors.
