For a long time it's been known that people who eat lots of fruit and vegies are much healthier than those who don't. Everyone thought this was because fruit and vegies are so rich in vitamins and minerals. But, as it turns out, they also contain thousands of other substances. These substances, called phytonutrients (or phytochemicals), give plants their color: they turn a tomato bright red and a carrot orange. On top of that, they're nutritional superstars. Despite its high-tech ring, the word phytonutrient simply means 'nutrient from a plant'. We'll call them 'phytos' for short. Some of them, like zeaxanthin and beta cryptoxanthin, sound like something from another planet, but you've probably heard of one or two, like beta carotene or flavonoids. So what are they? Phytos aren't classed as essential nutrients - not yet anyway - but you've got to go for these every day. Here's why: phytos naturally safeguard plants against disease, insects and other dangers in the environment. So they're actually a plant protection system - and when you eat them, they protect you too.
Phytos are vital for great skin and good health because many of them act as powerful antioxidants, which help fend off damage and fight off the bad guys known as free radicals. You can think of free radicals as 'molecules gone wild' - and when molecules go wild, they're up to no good. To give you an example, tomatoes contain a phyto called lycopene, which is a pigment that makes a tomato bright red. It also acts like a sun-shade for the tomato, protecting it from getting sunburnt. And once it's in your body, it helps protect you in a similar way. These pigments don't just make plants pretty; they also make you pretty. Here's a rundown of the key phytos you need for healthy, glowing skin:
Best sources: carrots, apricots, rockmelon (cantaloupe), pumpkin (squash), sweet potato and green leafy vegies.
Beauty benefits: beta carotene is a major player in keeping acne at bay. It accumulates in your skin to help protect against sun damage and keeps skin soft and smooth.
Best sources: tomatoes, guavas, watermelon, apricots and pink grapefruit.
Beauty benefits: lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that protects your whole body from all sorts of damage, including the harm to your skin caused by the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays. If you have acne, you'll want to up your intake of all things lycopene. Research shows that it helps bring down levels of those acne-inducing hormones.
Best sources: broccoli, apples, onions, berries and tea (black, green and white teas).
Beauty benefits: flavonoids (a group of related phytos) encourage healthy skin-cell function by strengthening the walls of the capillaries that bring nutrients to your skin. Flavonoids also speed cell turnover and repair.
Best sources: dark (bittersweet) chocolate (hooray!), raw cacao, green tea and fruit like lychees, strawberries and grapes.
Beauty benefits: antioxidant-packed polyphenols help speed up cell repair, encourage healthy cell function and improve the look of dull skin by increasing cell turnover.
Best sources: blueberries, dark cherries, pomegranates, purple cauliflower, black grapes, beetroot and basically any other fruit or vegie that's purple - even those yummy acai berries from Brazil.
Beauty benefits: the anthocyanins are bursting with antioxidant power, they're anti-inflammatory, and they improve blood supply to your skin.
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