A Natural, Secret Health Chemical
When it comes to a 'healthy' diet, what's actually 'healthy' about it? Well, researchers have revealed the secret, it all about the natural chemicals within the skins of certain fruits and vegetables.
These chemicals are a powerful antioxidant called flavonols. They help the body to defend itself from cancer, the effects of ageing, and heart disease. It's also thought that this could be an important factor as to why those people who eat a Mediterranean appear to be healthier and live longer.
Scientists from Glasgow University, Scotland, discovered that some varieties of fruits and vegetables have more of them than others.
Here are some good examples: A red coloured Lollo Rosso lettuce has, amazingly one hundred times more than your average green lettuce. Red onions have lots of them, but white onions almost none, and small cherry tomatoes are much higher in them, than the large types of tomatoes.
Dr Alan Crozier, one of the researchers at the Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences at Glasgow University, said,
"What our data shows is there is a surprisingly wide variation of flavonol levels in very similar products. A tomato is not just a tomato - there are different types. You can select a different variety and your flavonol content will increase dramatically."
This research shows that an easy way to increase the flavonols we consume, is to make a small change to our diet, and this should have an impact on our health.
They are strong antioxidants, they literally absorb the free radicals circulating in the bodies, which are constantly attacking healthy cells and DNA, and unlike other vitamins or nutrients found in food, they're not destroyed by cooking.
Dr Crozier adds, "You can fry the hell out of your tomatoes and still get 75% of your flavonols present,"
And saving the best until last... One of the best sources is chocolate! Especially dark chocolate. It's because chocolate is made from cacao, and cacao is full of flavonols. There is usually a lower content in milk chocolate, as they have a bitter taste, and are usually removed from the cacao when processed.
The benefits of chocolate are impressive, research shows it can lower the risks of high blood pressure and strokes, and whats more, a study conducted by Dr Andrea Salonia, San Raffaele hospital, Milan, Italy, found that women who eat more chocolate even enjoy better sex!
There are many super foods that are also very high in flavonols, these include maca, wheatgrass powder, spirulina, and barley grass powder.
When it comes to a 'healthy' diet, what's actually 'healthy' about it? Well, researchers have revealed the secret, it all about the natural chemicals within the skins of certain fruits and vegetables.
These chemicals are a powerful antioxidant called flavonols. They help the body to defend itself from cancer, the effects of ageing, and heart disease. It's also thought that this could be an important factor as to why those people who eat a Mediterranean appear to be healthier and live longer.
Scientists from Glasgow University, Scotland, discovered that some varieties of fruits and vegetables have more of them than others.
Here are some good examples: A red coloured Lollo Rosso lettuce has, amazingly one hundred times more than your average green lettuce. Red onions have lots of them, but white onions almost none, and small cherry tomatoes are much higher in them, than the large types of tomatoes.
Dr Alan Crozier, one of the researchers at the Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences at Glasgow University, said,
"What our data shows is there is a surprisingly wide variation of flavonol levels in very similar products. A tomato is not just a tomato - there are different types. You can select a different variety and your flavonol content will increase dramatically."
This research shows that an easy way to increase the flavonols we consume, is to make a small change to our diet, and this should have an impact on our health.
They are strong antioxidants, they literally absorb the free radicals circulating in the bodies, which are constantly attacking healthy cells and DNA, and unlike other vitamins or nutrients found in food, they're not destroyed by cooking.
Dr Crozier adds, "You can fry the hell out of your tomatoes and still get 75% of your flavonols present,"
And saving the best until last... One of the best sources is chocolate! Especially dark chocolate. It's because chocolate is made from cacao, and cacao is full of flavonols. There is usually a lower content in milk chocolate, as they have a bitter taste, and are usually removed from the cacao when processed.
The benefits of chocolate are impressive, research shows it can lower the risks of high blood pressure and strokes, and whats more, a study conducted by Dr Andrea Salonia, San Raffaele hospital, Milan, Italy, found that women who eat more chocolate even enjoy better sex!
There are many super foods that are also very high in flavonols, these include maca, wheatgrass powder, spirulina, and barley grass powder.
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