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Thanksgiving (a favorite eating holiday of mine, I might add) is fast
approaching and many of us are making our shopping list for the big day. Most
of us Americans look forward to this feast of eating by allowing ourselves some
indulgence. But do we realize that in addition to good food with lots of
calories, we are also consuming lots of those disease fighting phytochemicals?
Yes, many of the traditional Thanksgiving foods are high in phytochemicals
along with other important nutrients.
Here are some of the popular holiday foods and their phyto's:
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Butternut Squash/pumpkin soup: Squash and Pumpkin contain many
carotenoids including the most well known beta-carotene. Beta Carotene
acts as an antioxidant which reduce the risk of cancer. Other carotenoids too
numerous (and lengthy) to name, help to protect our vision, as well as giving
us other health promoting properties. Let's not exclude even our Thanksgiving
dessert, Pumpkin Pie (okay, we still need to watch our portion control a
little!).
-
Sweet Potatoes: Here again we find our phyto friend beta-carotene
which gives us the same wonderful benefits as above.
-
Brussels Sprouts: These wonderful little smelly cabbages contain
several phytochemicals. Indoles, which trigger enzyme production
to block estrogen action (helps to prevent breast cancer, and prostate cancer
cell growth); Sulforaphane, Isothiocyanates and Dithiolthiones all which
trigger enzymes that block carcinogen damage to cells (in fact, it's these
chemicals which we smell, that trigger our cancer cell enzyme production) .
-
Cranberry sauce: Cranberries contain Ellagic Aid, a
phyto that scavenges carcinogens to be carried out of our body. Red grapes also
contain Ellagic Acid and they're still widely available and oh so sweet!
-
Wine: contains flavonoids which act as antioxidants reducing the
risk of cancer and reduce cancer cell growth (use oregano in a stuffing?
Oregano also contains flavonoids).
-
Garlic/Onions: These contain the phytochemical group known as Allyl
Sulfides. These phyto's trigger enzyme production in our body which to
help to breakdown carcinogens which then are excreted.
So, now that we can focus on some of the wonderful health benefits (besides the
taste) of our traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, we can reach for a second
helping of these healthy foods and eat a little less of the less healthy foods
(we can try anyway!). Don't serve or eat any of the above foods? Well, there's
still plenty of time to add them to our shopping list, and now's the time for
us to retry, because food is also "feeding our body" for our health!
Next tip: portion sizes of our holiday meal (okay, just kidding).
Here's to our Thanksgiving Phytochemical Feast!
Want to read a bit more about Phytochemicals in produce?
Click here
Look for my "Pumpkin Pie" recipe under my recipe page this fri.
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As founder and director of The Nutrition at E.K.C. in New York City, June provides counseling in several specialized areas including Health & Fitness Assessments, weight loss, and sports nutrition for the active.
June's background includes her educational and practical experience which spans Exercise Science, Nutrition, and Behavioral Science. She is certified as a Lifestyle Counselor by the A
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