I remember growing up with my mom always preparing a large variety of vegetables, it was just how we ate. We weren’t vegetarians, not yet anyhow but a large variety of fruits and vegetables were always available to us.
As I got older I realized that this was considered unusual. I would have friends come over for dinner and they would be confused by what’s on their plates. I, in turn, would go to their houses for dinner and see not nary a green thing in sight. It’s in my teens that I realized that we ate differently than others that we know. Hindsight being 20/20 or perhaps some books or a university nutrition course or a few documentaries later, I realized all those fruits and vegetables were part of the reason why my hair grew so well and my skin had only minor afflictions when I was young.
I was being dosed with copious amounts of phytonutrients without knowing what they were or their benefits to my body. Now that my knowledge has grown and I am aware of what all these fruits and vegetables can do for me, I’m about to go on a phytonutrient binge.
What are phytonutrients?
Phytonutrients are those special little chemicals within a plant that the diet industry tries to isolate and sell as a super pill. Within the matrix of the whole plant, however, these are the beauty foods that make your hair grow, your nails grow and your skin glow.
Here is a list of some of the phytonutrients that science has found to be beneficial to us
- Carotenoids
- Ellagic acid
- Flavonoids
- Resveratrol
- Glucosinolates
- Phytoestrogens
This is great knowledge to know and if you are interested in learning more The Google can definitely tell you more. However, it might just be easier to eat more fruits and vegetables, period.
