Smart Cooks Age Better - The Food Cure: Your Healthy Eating ...

Unlocking the Healing Power of Nutrients
While there are literally tens of thousands of
nutrients, with hundreds of different functions, you
needn’t be a chemist or devote hours of study time
to get the benefits.
This primer organizes nutrients according to family
which, while unique, demonstrate similarities (not
unlike people!).
Here are the Nutrient Families we’ll explore in the
following pages:
Phenolics & Flavonoids: This group
represents more than 2,000 phytonutrients
found in foods ranging from apples to
mushrooms. Because this group is so diverse, they vary in color, activity and
best prep methods.
Carotenoids: This group of more than 600 carotenoids are easy to spot by
their yellow, orange and red hues. They’re all fat-soluble, tough guys that like a
little heat.
Organosulfur Compounds: This group of nutrients is best-known for its
cancer-fighting activity. They come from the ―mustard‖ family of veggies
(Cruciferae) which is best known for broccoli and its relatives. They’re all watersoluble
soft guys that like to stay cool.
Allylic Sulfur Compounds: There’s no denying the strength of a chopped
onion or a clove of crushed garlic. These compounds come from the Liliaceae
(or onion) family. They’re all water-soluble soft guys that like to stay cool.
Vitamins: Vary in color, activity and best prep methods. See individual
vitamins for more information.
Note: Phytonutrients and vitamins are more likely to be affected by processing than
mineral content. Therefore, we do not discuss minerals here.
Sumptuous Synergy: As you learned in Your Guide to Antioxidant
Superfoods, nutrients work together. And when they do, the effect is
greater than that of the isolated compounds alone. This concept, called
―synergy‖, is one of the reasons we at Healing Gourmet prefer Mother
Nature’s Perfect Packaging. Choosing an organic whole foods diet is your best bet to
provide your body with the spectrum of nutrients it needs.
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