What Are Plant Nutrients and Where Can I Get Them?
What are Plant Nutrients?
Plant nutrients, also referred to as phytonutrients, are compounds found in plants that display beneficial impacts on the human body. Fun fact, there are thousands of different plant nutrients! If you pick up a bottle at your local supplement shop, you will find plant nutrients everywhere in the ingredient lists! Could there be a better way to get plant nutrients into your diet than spending lots of money on supplements?
Some Common Plant Nutrients
Phenols - a compound found in many plants that has anti-inflammatory properties as well as anti-aging, antioxidant and antiproliferative properties (slow the spread or growth of cancer cells (1).
Foods that contain phenols: grapes, apples, pears, chocolate, tea, coffee, berries, cherries, legumes and tomatoes.
Short Chain Fatty Acids - secondary plant nutrient produced by gut bacteria in your colon from fermentation of dietary sources of fiber. Want to learn more about short chain fatty acids, read more in the fermentation blog here!
Foods: These acids are byproducts of bacterial fermentation in the large intestine, to support a wide variety and diversity of bacteria in your large intestine, it is important to eat fibrous foods because fiber is the nutrient source for the bacteria in your gut.
Flavonoids - a group of plant nutrients with many subgroups that are found in a variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Studies have shown that an increased intake of flavonoids can have a beneficial impact on brain health, heart health, skin health and inflammation.
Anthocyanins - a subgroup of flavonoids that are found in blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, pomegranates, plums, prunes, purple potatoes and red grapes (2). It is found in vegetables and fruits with blue, dark red and purple colors.
Flavones - a subgroup of flavonoids that are found in parsley, celery, chamomile, mint and ginko (2). These compounds may possess antioxidant, anti-cancerous, anti-tumor and anti-microbial properties (3).
Flavonols - a subgroup of flavonoids that are found in kale, onions, apples, tomatoes, lettuce and berries. “Intake of flavonols is found to be associated with a wide range of health benefits which includes antioxidant potential and reduced risk of vascular disease” (2).
Flavanones - a subgroup of flavonoids that are found in grapes and citrus fruits, as well as in their peels too (2). Flavanones possess antioxidant properties, which have the potential to prevent cellular damage.
Flavanols - a subgroup of flavonoids that are found in bananas, apples, blueberries, peaches and pears (2).
Carotenoids - fat soluble plant nutrients created by bacteria, plants, fungi and algae that have demonstrated positive effects on skin health, heart health, eye health, liver health, bone health and may reduce risk of developing certain forms of cancer via protection against free radicals. Some studies even mention that carotenoids can decrease inflammation (5). Heating carotenoids can make them more bioavailable than raw fruits and vegetables that contain carotenoids, eating carotenoid rich foods with a source of fat can increase their bioavailability as well (5)!
Foods: carrots, squash, pumpkin, apricots, peppers, fish, eggs, corn, mango, watermelon, grapefruit and tomatoes.
Resveratrol - a compound found in plants that has demonstrated anticancer effects as well as anti-inflammatory, heart protective, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties (6).
Foods: grapes, peanuts, blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, pistachios, jackfruit, red cabbage and red onions.
Terpenes - a compound found in the oils of plants that are found in various fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. Terpenes have demonstrated antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties (7). Try adding a variety of terpenes to your meals this week!
Foods: citrus fruits and their peels, basil, rosemary, mint, thyme, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, lavender, hops, ginger, eucalyptus, cannabis, oregano, sage and lemongrass.
Chlorophyll (Think Green) - a nutrient in plants and algae that helps the organism convert sunlight to usable energy to sustain life. It is also responsible for the green color of plants and algae. Consumption of chlorophyll rich foods has been linked to antioxidant and antimutagenic properties (8).
Foods: kale, broccoli, seaweed, spirulina, parsley, cilantro, basil, mint, Brussel sprouts, peas, green beans, zucchini, wheatgrass, spinach, lettuce, Swiss chard, green tea, matcha and green peppers.
| The Synergy of Plants |
According to Oxford Languages, Synergy is defined as “the interaction of two or more substances to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of its separate parts”.
Oftentimes supplements will contain a high concentration of a specific plant nutrient. This takes away the other beneficial compounds and nutrients that the plant has to offer in its whole form. Many plants do not contain just one type of phytonutrient within them, there can be many phytonutrients in one vegetable or fruit. Eating the whole food form of the nutrient can expose you too all the plant has to offer, various plant nutrients, vitamins, minerals and fiber!
Bottom Line
Eat the rainbow and find ways to enjoy a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains!
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Rahman, M. M., Rahaman, M. S., Islam, M. R., Rahman, F., Mithi, F. M., Alqahtani, T., Almikhlafi, M. A., Alghamdi, S. Q., Alruwaili, A. S., Hossain, M. S., Ahmed, M., Das, R., Emran, T. B., & Uddin, M. S. (2021, December 30). Role of phenolic compounds in human disease: Current knowledge and future prospects. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8746501/
Panche, A. N., Diwan, A. D., & Chandra, S. R. (2016, December 29). Flavonoids: An overview. Journal of nutritional science. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5465813/
Nijveldt, R. J., Cushnie, T. P. T., Havsteen, B., Zheng, X., Sashidhara, K. V., Gulcin, I., Halliwell, B., Cao, G., Chen, Z. Y., McCord, J. M., Hyun, J., Gomes, A., Bosi, S., Enes, R. F., Gazak, R., Lapchak, P. A., Herrerias, T., … Davis, C. T. (2014, July 5). Flavones: An important scaffold for medicinal chemistry. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0223523414006199
Cheatham, C. L., Nieman, D. C., Neilson, A. P., & Lila, M. A. (2022, February 22). Enhancing the cognitive effects of flavonoids with physical activity: Is there a case for the gut microbiome?. Frontiers in neuroscience. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8902155/
Elvira-Torales, L. I., García-Alonso, J., & Periago-Castón, M. J. (2019, July 19). Nutritional importance of carotenoids and their effect on Liver Health: A Review. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/8/7/229
Zhang, L.-X., Li, C.-X., Kakar, M. U., Khan, M. S., Wu, P.-F., Amir, R. M., Dai, D.-F., Naveed, M., Li, Q.-Y., Saeed, M., Shen, J.-Q., Rajput, S. A., & Li, J.-H. (2021). Resveratrol (RV): A Pharmacological Review and call for further research. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 143, 112164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112164
Saini, R. K., Ranjit, A., Sharma, K., Prasad, P., Shang, X., Gowda, K. G. M., & Keum, Y.-S. (2022, January 26). Bioactive compounds of citrus fruits: A review of composition and health benefits of carotenoids, flavonoids, limonoids, and terpenes. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/11/2/239
Shi, M., Gu, J., Wu, H., Rauf, A., Emran, T. B., Khan, Z., Mitra, S., Aljohani, A. S. M., Alhumaydhi, F. A., Al-Awthan, Y. S., Bahattab, O., Thiruvengadam, M., & Suleria, H. A. R. (2022, June 13). Phytochemicals, nutrition, metabolism, bioavailability, and health benefits in Lettuce-A Comprehensive Review. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/11/6/1158
