How to Include Flavonoids in Your Diet
Choose fresh colorful food., Eat more fruit., Include more vegetables in your diet., Eat nuts., Drink tea., Consider taking a supplement., Include flavonoids for the antioxidant benefit., Improve cell communication., Improve vitamin C transportation...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Choose fresh colorful food.
Foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, lose their flavonoids over time, so choose fresh produce and use it quickly.
To avoid losing flavonoids, avoid overcooking or boiling your produce.Bright color is a good indicator of high flavonoid content, so pay attention to color when you're cooking.
Since flavonoids are highest in the skin of produce, try not to peel your fruits or vegetables.
For this reason, you should also purchase organic produce in order to cut back on pesticides. -
Step 2: Eat more fruit.
Fruits are one of the biggest food sources of flavonoids.
They contain a variety of flavonoid types including anthocyanidins, flavonols, flavon-3-ols, flavonones, and flavones.Try to eat two or three servings of fruit every day.
Eat more:
Berries: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, huckleberries, cranberries, blackberries Stone fruit: cherries, plums, peaches Bananas Pears Apples Citrus (and juices): grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes Melon: watermelon, cantaloupe Red grapes , Vegetables contain several types of flavonoids, including flavonols, flavonones, and flavones.
Try to eat at least three servings of vegetables a day.
You should aim for a combined five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
Good vegetable sources of flavonoids include:
Red or yellow onions and leeks Leafy greens: turnip greens, mustard greens, lettuce, beet greens, spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, kale) Tomatoes Parsley Peppers: chili peppers, bell peppers Celery Red or purple cabbage , Eating a handful of nuts every day is a good way to get a variety of minerals and vitamins.
Several nuts contain high sources of flavonoids.
Pecans, almonds, pistachios, and hazelnuts have the highest concentrations of flavonoids.While they're not nuts, you should also include garbanzo beans and quinoa to get anthocyanodins and flavonols in your diet.
Legumes and soy are good sources of isoflavones. , Tea is the largest source of flavonoids for many people.
It's one of the best studied flavonoids, containing catechins, including epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG.
These flavonoids act like antioxidants which may protect your heart health.
Try to drink one to three cups of tea a day.Green and white teas contain high levels of flavonoids, although black teas also contain other helpful flavonoid components (like thearubigins).Red wine and red grape juice are other good source of flavonoids.
Drink wine in moderation (one drink a day for those under 65 and up to two drinks for those over 65) for the health benefits., If you're ill, you may want to take a flavonoid supplement.
Always talk to your doctor before taking a supplement.
Since there's no recommended daily intake for flavonoids, your doctor may prefer that you continue to get flavonoids from your diet.
To ensure you get the most benefits from flavonoids, try to eat a variety of fresh foods.
Unfortunately, most nutrient databases do not provide significantly useful information about the flavonoid content of foods.
Some people are not able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables due to certain health conditions, like diverticulitis or Crohn's Disease, and they may benefit from taking a supplement as they cannot consume the flavonoids through dietary sources. , Antioxidants can fight a substance called free radicals which damages cells and causes oxidative stress (the imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract their harmful effects).
Your body usually makes its own antioxidants (like glutathione, and uric acid).
But, environmental stresses, poor diet, and illness can all overwhelm the antioxidant systems in your body.
Eating flavonoids can increase the antioxidants in your system.Oxidative stress is correlated with the development of cancer, atherosclerosis, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Studies are still needed to determine if flavonoids can grab and bind dangerous metal ions, reducing free radicals., Cells and tissues communicate with each other using routes or pathways.
Flavonoids can change these pathways, which may improve cell to cell communication.
Flavonoids can:
Increase detoxification Maintain normal cell growth and prevent abnormal (cancerous) cell growth Decrease inflammationDecrease the risk of clotting , The combination of flavonoids and vitamin C can prevent damage to DNA.Some of the foods highest in Vitamin C are also very high in flavonoids.
These foods include:
Papayas Bell peppers Broccoli Brussels sprouts Strawberries , Flavonoids may reduce LDL cholesterol by relaxing the arteries, improving blood flow, and by preventing platelets from sticking.Fruits and vegetables are good sources of flavonoids that lower cholesterol.But, studies also show that some of the best sources of flavonoids to reduce cholesterol include cocoa products, like chocolate.To get the most benefits, choose dark chocolate (with at least 55% cocoa solids).
Milk or white chocolates contain lower amounts of cocoa and higher amounts of sugar.
Some flavonoids promote the relaxation of arteries and allows blood to flow easier throughout the body.
This decreases blood pressure by helping to prevent atherosclerosis. -
Step 3: Include more vegetables in your diet.
-
Step 4: Eat nuts.
-
Step 5: Drink tea.
-
Step 6: Consider taking a supplement.
-
Step 7: Include flavonoids for the antioxidant benefit.
-
Step 8: Improve cell communication.
-
Step 9: Improve vitamin C transportation in the body.
-
Step 10: Improve your heart health.
Detailed Guide
Foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, lose their flavonoids over time, so choose fresh produce and use it quickly.
To avoid losing flavonoids, avoid overcooking or boiling your produce.Bright color is a good indicator of high flavonoid content, so pay attention to color when you're cooking.
Since flavonoids are highest in the skin of produce, try not to peel your fruits or vegetables.
For this reason, you should also purchase organic produce in order to cut back on pesticides.
Fruits are one of the biggest food sources of flavonoids.
They contain a variety of flavonoid types including anthocyanidins, flavonols, flavon-3-ols, flavonones, and flavones.Try to eat two or three servings of fruit every day.
Eat more:
Berries: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, huckleberries, cranberries, blackberries Stone fruit: cherries, plums, peaches Bananas Pears Apples Citrus (and juices): grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes Melon: watermelon, cantaloupe Red grapes , Vegetables contain several types of flavonoids, including flavonols, flavonones, and flavones.
Try to eat at least three servings of vegetables a day.
You should aim for a combined five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
Good vegetable sources of flavonoids include:
Red or yellow onions and leeks Leafy greens: turnip greens, mustard greens, lettuce, beet greens, spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, kale) Tomatoes Parsley Peppers: chili peppers, bell peppers Celery Red or purple cabbage , Eating a handful of nuts every day is a good way to get a variety of minerals and vitamins.
Several nuts contain high sources of flavonoids.
Pecans, almonds, pistachios, and hazelnuts have the highest concentrations of flavonoids.While they're not nuts, you should also include garbanzo beans and quinoa to get anthocyanodins and flavonols in your diet.
Legumes and soy are good sources of isoflavones. , Tea is the largest source of flavonoids for many people.
It's one of the best studied flavonoids, containing catechins, including epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG.
These flavonoids act like antioxidants which may protect your heart health.
Try to drink one to three cups of tea a day.Green and white teas contain high levels of flavonoids, although black teas also contain other helpful flavonoid components (like thearubigins).Red wine and red grape juice are other good source of flavonoids.
Drink wine in moderation (one drink a day for those under 65 and up to two drinks for those over 65) for the health benefits., If you're ill, you may want to take a flavonoid supplement.
Always talk to your doctor before taking a supplement.
Since there's no recommended daily intake for flavonoids, your doctor may prefer that you continue to get flavonoids from your diet.
To ensure you get the most benefits from flavonoids, try to eat a variety of fresh foods.
Unfortunately, most nutrient databases do not provide significantly useful information about the flavonoid content of foods.
Some people are not able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables due to certain health conditions, like diverticulitis or Crohn's Disease, and they may benefit from taking a supplement as they cannot consume the flavonoids through dietary sources. , Antioxidants can fight a substance called free radicals which damages cells and causes oxidative stress (the imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract their harmful effects).
Your body usually makes its own antioxidants (like glutathione, and uric acid).
But, environmental stresses, poor diet, and illness can all overwhelm the antioxidant systems in your body.
Eating flavonoids can increase the antioxidants in your system.Oxidative stress is correlated with the development of cancer, atherosclerosis, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Studies are still needed to determine if flavonoids can grab and bind dangerous metal ions, reducing free radicals., Cells and tissues communicate with each other using routes or pathways.
Flavonoids can change these pathways, which may improve cell to cell communication.
Flavonoids can:
Increase detoxification Maintain normal cell growth and prevent abnormal (cancerous) cell growth Decrease inflammationDecrease the risk of clotting , The combination of flavonoids and vitamin C can prevent damage to DNA.Some of the foods highest in Vitamin C are also very high in flavonoids.
These foods include:
Papayas Bell peppers Broccoli Brussels sprouts Strawberries , Flavonoids may reduce LDL cholesterol by relaxing the arteries, improving blood flow, and by preventing platelets from sticking.Fruits and vegetables are good sources of flavonoids that lower cholesterol.But, studies also show that some of the best sources of flavonoids to reduce cholesterol include cocoa products, like chocolate.To get the most benefits, choose dark chocolate (with at least 55% cocoa solids).
Milk or white chocolates contain lower amounts of cocoa and higher amounts of sugar.
Some flavonoids promote the relaxation of arteries and allows blood to flow easier throughout the body.
This decreases blood pressure by helping to prevent atherosclerosis.
About the Author
Shirley Wright
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow cooking tutorials.
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