Our healthy

Add More Colours To Your Meals
Remember the proverbial reminder to "Eat your Veggie", delivered bu your mom over the dinner tablr and always with a little wag of her finger? Well, mom was definitely on to something when she insisted that you gobbled down your greens. Other than greens, though, to maintain your well-being and better support your body's needs, you might want to pile on fruits and veggies of different and colours as well.

That's because fruits and vegetables not only provide vitamins and minerals, but also contain nutrients called phytonutrients that are essential for good health. Epidemiological studies and clinical trials have provided evidence that diets rich in fruits and vegetables can help prevent and reduce the risk of chronic disease (1).
Read on to discover key phytonutrients and how they influence our health and wellness - it will give you plenty of motivation to add more colours to your meals.

Promotes Prostate Health
Lycopene, a naturally occuring plant compound extracted from tomatoes, is thought to be responsible for reduced risk of prostate cancer (2). Studies also suggest that it may help guard aganinst lung and stomach cancer (3), moderate UV irradiation and provide slight protection from sunburn (4).

Promotes Eye Health

A yellow coloured caretenoid, lutein possesses high level of antioxidant activity and is found in high amounts in macular of the eye. Together with zeaxanthin, another carotenoid pigment, lutein helps maintain better eye health. According to a report published by the journal of American Medical Association, 2.0-.7 mg of Lutein per day helped protect against macular degeneration (5).

Promotes Blood Vessel Health
Commonly found in apples, onions and green team quarcetin, like other bioflavonoids, functions as a strong antioxidant. Especially beneficial in promoting blood vessel health, quarcetin may help alleviate risk of cardiovascular disease.

Protect DNA Cells
Research shows that ellagic acid, a compound derived chiefly from pomegranate and a strong antioxidant, has various health benefits, including protecting against DNA damage in cultured cells (6) and inhibiting the activity of th N-acetyltransferases enzyme - the conduit to changes in DNA structure (7). Based on in vitro and animal studies, ellagic acid also exhibits anti-carcinogenic effects for chemically induced tumours (8).

Supports Cardiovascular Performance
Orange is an excellent source for hesperidin a citrus flavonoid that helps support good cardiovascular performance due to its ability to promote improved venous tone and elasticity, and vascular permeability (9). Hesperidin is also said to be accountable for the increase in HDL levels by 2% and the lowering of total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in individuals who drink up to 3 glasses of orange juice daily (10).

Provides Antioxidant Capability
Although containing a variety of phytochemicals, green tea is especially rich in epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is associated with a host of health benefits. For example, the catechin content of 2 cups of green tea, which is about 82 mg of EGCG, helps increase the plasma antioxidant capacity of the blood, and is recommended as a way to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (11). Green tea catechins are also recognised as effective antioxidants, especially for smokers (12). Additional research also suggests that green tea catechins are especially beneficial in women, by helping cut down the risk of aortic atherosclerosis for those who drank >4 cups a day (13).

Free Radical Protection
A group of compounds that acts as antioxidants, anthocyanins help protect the body from free radicals, which may lead to chronic diseases. Anthocyanins are also said to help safeguard DNA from impairment.


How Do We Know Phytonutrients Exists?
We know that thousands of different phytonutrients can be found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, Yet, how can we be sure? A method known as chromatography is employed by scientists to not just detect phytonutrients, but also measure the quantity of each individual phytonutrient in a fruit or vegetable. Chromatography uses the amount of light absorbance at specific wavelengths to separate and capture the inividual peak of each phytonutrient, The various peaks then provide a clear visual representation of the numerous phytonutrients that  may be present in a certain plant.

REFERENCE:
(1) Lock K, Pomerleau J, Causer L, Altmann DR, Mckee M.
      The global burden of disease attributable to low consumption of fruits and vegetables: Implications for the  
      global strategy on diet. Bull World Health Organ. 2005; 83(2):100 - 108. (PubMed).


(2) Giovanucci E et al. Intake of carotenoids and retinol in relation to risk of prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer 
      Inst 1995; 87: 1767 - 1776.


(3) Giovannucci E. Tomatoes, tomato - based products, lycopene, and cancer: Review of the epidemiological
      literature. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1999; 91: 317 - 331.


(4) Stahl W et al. Dietary tomato paste protects against ultraviolet light - induced erythema in humans. J Nutr 
      2001; 131: 1449 - 1451.


(5) Seddon J et al. Dietary Carotenoids, vitamins A, C, and E, and advanced age - related macular  
      degeneration. JAMA 1994;272: 1413 - 1420.


(6) Festa F et al. Strong antioxidant activity of ellagic acid in mammalian cells in vitro revealed by the comet
     assay. Anticancer Res 2001; 21: 3903 - 3908.


(7) Lin SS et al. Ellagic acid inhibits arylamine N-acetyltransferase activity and DNA adduct formation in
     human bladder tumor cell lines (T24 and TSGH 8301). Urol Res 2001; 29: 371 - 376.


(8) Greenwald P, Mcdonald SS, Antioxidants and the prevention of cancer. Antioxidants in Human health. 
     CAB International, 1999 (Eds TK Basu, NJ Temple and ML Garg).


(9) Ibegbuna V et al. Venous elasticity after treatment with daflon 500 mg. Angiology. 1997; 48: 77 - 85.


(10) Presented at the American Heart Association meeting in Atlanta, GA, 1999.


(11) Nakagawa K, et al. Tea catechin supplementation increases antioxidant capacity and prevents 
       phospholipid hydroperoxidation in plasma of humans. J Agri food Chem 1999: 47: 3976 - 3973.


(12) Klaunig JE et al. The effect of tea consumption of oxidatavie stress in smokers and nonsmokers. Proc
        Soc Exp Biol Med 1999; 220: 249 - 254.


(13) Geleijnse JM et al. Tea flavonoids may protect against atherosclerosis: The Rotterdam study. Arch Int
        Med 1999; 159: 2170 - 2174.