Special nutrients such as flavonoids, lycopene, resveratrol, and glutathione are mostly derived from common foods. Understanding their health benefits is naturally beneficial to your health.
1. Flavonoids Protect the Heart
Flavonoids are a general term for a class of plant pigments, which are tricyclic compounds and have the effect of protecting the heart. Medical experts from the University of Wisconsin, USA, disclosed:
Flavonoids
First, they can act as antioxidants, preventing oxygen from binding to low-density lipoprotein (if bound, it will adhere to the vascular wall and hinder blood flow);
Second, they act as platelet inhibitors, reducing platelet adhesion. Experiments have shown that people who eat foods rich in flavonoids for a long time can reduce their risk of heart disease by half.
Tea, apples, onions, grapes, etc., are rich in flavonoids, and middle-aged and elderly people should not neglect these foods.
2. Polysaccharides Enhance Immunity
This refers to plant polysaccharides, such as goji berry polysaccharides, shiitake mushroom polysaccharides, black fungus polysaccharides, and kelp polysaccharides, which have the function of bidirectionally regulating human physiological rhythms.
Take shiitake mushroom polysaccharide as an example, it can enhance the body's immunity and has a significant anti-tumor effect; another example is goji berry polysaccharide, which plays an indispensable role in lowering blood sugar, lowering blood lipids, and anti-fatigue.
Therefore, eating more foods such as shiitake mushrooms, black fungus, and kelp can obtain rich polysaccharides to enhance the body's disease resistance.
3. Lycopene Prevents Cancer
Research has shown that a nutrient called lycopene is remarkably effective in preventing cancers such as prostate cancer, colon cancer, and rectal cancer, as well as heart disease, and has received great attention from preventive medicine experts. This is mainly due to the powerful antioxidant properties of lycopene.
Tomatoes are the richest source of lycopene, but they must be processed into sauces, juices, or pastes and cooked into dishes to be easily absorbed by the human body. Tomato sauce contains 5 times more lycopene than an equal amount of fresh tomatoes. At the same time, lycopene is soluble in fat, so the absorption rate of various tomato dishes stir-fried or boiled with cooking oil is higher than that of fresh tomatoes.
In addition to tomatoes, foods rich in lycopene also include watermelon, red grapes, sweet apricots, red persimmons, and aquatic shellfish such as lobster and crab.
4. Resveratrol Lowers Blood Lipids
Resveratrol is a phytoalexin produced by grapes under the irradiation of sunlight and ultraviolet rays. Scientists have discovered that it has multiple biological activities such as antibacterial, anti-cancer, anti-thrombosis, anti-hyperlipidemia, and anti-lipid peroxidation, and plays an indispensable role in helping the human body resist prostate cancer and endometrial cancer.
In addition to being abundant in wine and raisins, peanuts are also a "rich mine" of resveratrol, which is one of the secrets of the French people's health and longevity. Their dining tables often have a bottle of red wine, and peanuts are used as a side dish for drinking. This eating habit is worth learning from.
5. Omega-3 Fatty Acids Fight Depression
Fish, especially deep-sea fish, contain large amounts of this unsaturated fatty acid. Researchers from Harvard University in the USA reported that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have similar effects to common antidepressants such as lithium carbonate, and can help people maintain a good mood.
6. Short-chain Fatty Acids Have Multiple Benefits
Short-chain fatty acids refer to branched-chain fatty acids containing 2-4 carbon atoms, such as acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid. Their contribution to human health lies in:
First, they produce energy;
Second, they act as special nutritional factors for the intestinal epithelium, protecting the intestinal mucosa;
Third, they enhance the motor function of the stomach and intestines to prevent constipation.
In addition, butyric acid can repair intestinal mucosal damage and prevent ulcerative colitis; propionic acid can promote the absorption of calcium elements by the body.
The nutrients of short-chain fatty acids are mainly distributed in coarse grains and vegetables. Therefore, when planning a diet, one should not "be overly refined in food" but should combine coarse and fine grains and eat a wide variety of foods to fully exert the health effects of short-chain fatty acids.
7. Resistant Starch Helps with Weight Loss
The so-called resistant starch is defined by experts of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as "starch and its degradation products not absorbed in the small intestine of healthy people". It can regulate blood sugar and cholesterol, and promote the decomposition and excretion of intestinal toxins.
In addition, resistant starch also has a satiating effect, which can control food intake and achieve weight loss.
According to foreign experts' tests, foods such as bananas, potatoes, macaroni, green beans, bean slices, corn, and flour all contain relatively high amounts of resistant starch and can be selected.
8. Vitamin B6 Enhances Memory
It is medically proven that during the aging process, if the human body lacks vitamin B6, which is composed of folic acid, memory loss will be accelerated. Its mystery lies in this vitamin can ensure that blood supplies oxygen to all vital organs.
Vitamin B6 (mainly found in animal liver, malt, egg yolk, walnuts, and spinach). If it can be combined with the intake of vitamin B6 (abundant in malt and salmon, which can promote the connection between neurons) and vitamin B12 (abundant in meat, eggs, fish, shrimp, crab, etc., which can ensure the generation of neurotransmitters), the effect will be better.
9. Vitamin C Energizes the Brain
The latest research shows that vitamin C can enhance human intelligence and improve children's IQ, which is of great significance to the metabolism of brain cells. Our body contains about 1.5 grams of vitamin C, which needs to be regularly updated to maintain brain vitality.
Therefore, it is necessary to often eat foods rich in this vitamin, such as vegetables (broccoli, sweet peppers, cabbage, celery) and fruits (lemons, kiwis, strawberries, grapefruit, and oranges).
10. Cysteine Beautifies Hair
The sulfur element and vitamin C in cysteine are components of hair, and their main role is to maintain the luster of the hair.
Amino acids are abundant in high-protein foods such as beef, lamb, chicken, fish, dairy products, and bean sprouts.
If you eat some fresh fruits and vegetables such as kiwis, green peppers, and cabbage while eating these foods, it can make cysteine play a greater role.
11. Arginine Promotes Male Fertility
Arginine is the main provider of nitrogen in the composition of human sperm. If there is a lack of arginine, it will lead to developmental disorders of sperm in adult men, resulting in a decrease in sperm count and weakened motility, causing male infertility.
According to measurements, foods such as beans, peanuts, sesame, sardines, and beef contain relatively high amounts of arginine, and men should eat more of them.
12. Iron Fights Fatigue
People are more familiar with the blood-enriching effect of iron, but it can also help you resist the cold. This has been confirmed by research experts from the University of Rochester in the USA. Iron deficiency can easily lead to a decrease in red blood cells that transport oxygen to the brain, causing a lack of energy in the brain and thus a feeling of fatigue. Pig blood soup is a magic medicine for iron supplementation, and animal liver is also a "rich mine" of iron.
13. Zinc Protects the Sense of Taste
The zinc element has a good protective effect on people's sense of taste and can make people's appetite strong. This is because zinc affects a molecule that can perceive various flavors in the operation of the taste bud receptor. Therefore, we should eat more oysters, steaks, chicken and duck livers, and cheese.
14. Superoxide Dismutase Eliminates Free Radicals
This is a powerful antioxidant that can timely eliminate the hidden dangers of disease in the body—oxygen free radicals, so it is called the "scavenger" of the human body.
Superoxide dismutase is mainly found in fruits and vegetables such as rose hips, hawthorn, jujubes, bananas, and beans, purple eggplant, chives, green peppers, shiitake mushrooms, etc. Reasonable adjustment of the diet and attention to scientific cooking methods can supplement a certain amount of superoxide dismutase.
15. Glutathione Anti-aging
Glutathione is composed of glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine, and is also a relatively strong antioxidant, with the effects of enhancing human immune function, delaying aging and anti-cancer.
Cabbage, garlic, and onions are quite rich in glutathione.