I have said it before and I will say it again: Food is medicine! (but also don’t take that entirely out of context, please) What I mean is: What we put into our body can do a whole lot of good OR a whole lot of bad. What if I were to tell you there is a large group of foods that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may improve cognitive function and/or prevent decline, AND aid in the prevention or management of many chronic disease states? Well, there is! All of these foods have one thing in common: they contain flavonoids.
What are Flavonoids
Flavonoids are naturally occurring compounds found in many plant derived products. There are 6 flavonoid subtypes:
- Flavanols
- Flavan-3-ols
- Flavones
- Flavanones
- Isoflavones
- Anthocyanins
Flavonoids have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, with several other proposed health benefits.
Possible Benefits of Flavonoids
- strengthen immune system
- reduce inflammation
- decrease risk of cardiovascular disease
- improve blood pressure
- improve blood sugar regulation
- weight regulation
- protect/preserve nervous system function
- Improve other chronic conditions such as NAFLD
- prevent cancer and/or decrease rate of which cancer cells multiply
Sounds good so far right? Almost too good to be true… You may find yourself asking: “what foods contain these said compounds? They must be far and few between.”
Flavonoid Containing Foods
- Berries
- Citrus fruits
- Peaches
- Grapes
- Apples
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Celery
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Parsley
- Onion
- Tea
- Chamomile
- Peppermint
- Dark Chocolate
As you can see flavonoid containing foods are all around us!
In Conclusion
Implementing a flavonoid rich diet does not have to be hard. I harp on eating a well balanced diet. Well, if you are doing that then you are likely already incorporating flavonoid containing foods. Many fruits, vegetables, herbs, teas, even chocolate and wine(!) contain flavonoids.
Flavonoids are naturally occurring compounds found in many plant derived products. There are numerous confirmed and proposed health benefits of flavonoids. And I believe we are just touching the surface. There is more to be said and done with flavonoids. As a wise woman once said: food is medicine.
As always, please reach out with questions, comments, or for further discussion.
Lindsey, PharmD, BCPS