Phytonutrients: Why You Need Them

According to a recent study by America’s Nutrilite Health Institute, most Americans are deficient in phytonutrients.  This is not only the case in America of course, but in most parts of the world today as well.  Failing to eat sufficient quantities of vegetables and fruits not only prevents you from getting these important nutrients, but such a shortage also decreases the likelihood of getting the important bone-building vitamins and minerals such as vitamin D and Calcium.

Most recent research highlights the importance of consuming high quantities of fruits and vegetables but this study and other more recent ones also suggest that variety is just as important.  So even if you are eating the recommended daily serving (5-13 servings each day), chances are you are not getting enough variation in your diet.  Most people even when they eat the recommended servings, eat the same things over and over again.  This, unfortunately, does not give them the spectrum they in fact need to obtain all the related health benefits.

Sources of phytonutrients come in different forms.  Your green phytonutrients are found in foods such as soybeans, spinach and tea.  Red Phytonutrients come from tomatoes and white phytonutrients from onions.  Yellow and Orange phytonutrients can, not surprisingly, best be obtained by orange and yellow foods, such as carrots and oranges.

According to the study though approximately ten million Americans over fifty have osteoporosis, a fact which does not bode well for subsequent generations.  Failing to get adequate amounts of phytonutrients is associated with failure to get adequate amounts of Calcium and vitamin D, both of which are essential to the maintenance of bone health.  Phytonutrients also have been found to offer important benefits to bone health and thus fruits and vegetables should be counted among those things needed for the prevention of bone thinning diseases.

Increasing your intake of phytonutrients will therefore help ensure the protection of your bones.  Fighting osteoporosis with vitamins and minerals by way of prevention is obviously the best way to go.  Adding fruits and vegetables to your diet is great, but you also need to focus on working in variety. 

An easy way to check that you are eating a good selection of fruits and vegetables is to look at the colour of your plate.  If your dinner looks bland, white or cream with little colour than chances are you are not getting all of the nutrients you need.  If, alternatively your plate looks like a rich array of colours, a rainbow of delicious and tasty treats, then you are probably getting a good selection of phytonutrients.  Feeding your body the foods it needs for optimum health can be as easy as this, for as the old adage goes- variety truly is the spice of life.