Beyond the Nutrition Label: What it Doesn't Tell You & A Quick Breakdown of Antioxidants

It's pretty well known that incorporating a variety of fruits and vegetables into your diet contributes to a number of kick-ass health benefits.

Reducing risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, maintaining a healthy blood pressure, improved digestion - you name it. Basically, fruits and vegetables have it going on in the means of keeping you a healthy, happy, functioning human being!

But, what's the real source of all that healthy goodness? Let's find out!

For the most part, if your produce is coming in some type of packaging, there is a helpful friendly Nutrition Facts Label somewhere on the back which can tell you a bit about what's inside. If you're buying your produce free of packaging (great!!!), nutrition information for most produce can be found around the internet.

So...

On the Nutrition Facts Label, it's required by the FDA to include:

Calories
Calories from Fat
Total Fat
Saturated Fat
Trans Fat
Cholesterol
Sodium
Carbohydrate
Total Fiber
Sugars
Protein
Vitamin A & Vitamin C
Iron & Calcium.

These are all important parts of what we eat, but the chemical composition of our food spans so far beyond this.

First things first, let's take a second to investigate some food labels from some of my favorite fruits and vegetables to see what's listed and how helpful they are in letting us know how healthy our food is.

I'm sure we can see the real source of all that goodness right on the label, RIGHT?

Looking At The Nutrition Facts

---

Brussels Sprouts: 1/4 cup

• Absolutely killin' it in Vitamin C (120%)
• OK source of Vitamin A (15%)
• Good Source of Fiber (3g)
• Naturally low in calories, sodium, fat and cholesterol

 



Spinach: 3 oz.

• Wow! Check out the Vitamin A (110%)
• Decent source of Vitamin C  (35%)
• Potassium is listed, which is nice (11%)
• Naturally low in calories, sodium, fat and cholesterol
  

Dark Cherries: 1 cup

• Potassium is listed, great (4%)
• Some Fiber (2g)
• Vitamin C exists in them (8%)
• But I thought cherries were good for you - why am I not seeing much else on the food label?

Hm.......

Blueberries: 1 cup

• Great Source of Fiber (6g)
• Naturally low in calories, sodium, fat and cholesterol
• Hm. We are sort of seeing the same thing here as the cherries. But isn't fruit supposed to be, like, really healthy?

But.. wait... what's that in the description to the left?

"Deep blue fruits are packed with antioxidants..."

......Antioxidants.

Oh yeah, we all know those. They're always in the healthy stuff at the healthy places.

Overpriced, usually. Right?

But, if the blueberries contain antioxidants,  where are they listed on the ingredients label? What kind of mystery ingredient is an antioxidant?

Okay.

HOLD UP!

So, let's recap.

1. We know fruits and vegetables are good for us. Check.

2. Next, based on the Nutrition Facts Label, we know they usually contain high levels of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Fiber, Potassium and more which all contribute to a healthy body. Check.

3. But what are these other ingredients called antioxidants?

Let's take a quick look at Antioxidants to understand what they are, why they're important...and mostly, to find out where the hell they are in our blueberries.

A Breakdown of Antioxidants

What is an ANTI-OXIDANT?

An Antioxidant is any compound or substance that helps prevent or hinder cellular damage, which can often be caused by oxidation or oxidative stress.

Oxidative Stress

If you have a television, then you have most likely heard the term "free radical". Free radicals are unstable molecules (containing an unpaired electron) within the body which can be caused by daily metabolic processes, pollution, sun exposure and more. But most importantly, they can create oxidative stress in the body. Oxidative stress is connected to damage within the body such as inflammation, high blood pressure, disease and aging.

Therefore, antioxidants help break the cycle of harmful oxidation - they are literally called ANTI-oxidants.

It's pretty interesting how it works. But, did you also fail Chemistry 101? It's real easy, I promise.

The Basics of How Antioxidants Work

So, you've got a happy little molecule in your body. Then, all of a sudden, it loses an electron.

Ahhh! It's become unbalanced!

This molecule is basically going to have a destructive meltdown until it can find another electron to bring it back to balance. It's bouncing all over the place in your body. Running into things. Causing damage. Being STRESSED. It will do ANYTHING it takes to get another electron. Even steal it from other innocent molecule victims!

They're super reactive and cause damage this way in the body.

But before the free radical can do any real damage, the antioxidant molecule comes in and says, "Dude, chill. Here, take one of my electrons", and, most often, donates their electron to the unstable molecule to bring it back to balance. This prevents any metabolic damage to other molecules (like your DNA!) and decreases all those scary risks of oxidative stress.

Phew.

So, the antioxidant is kind of like a helpful, giving little guy who offers their stuff to their crazy, irresponsible friend who always freaks out when they're out of balance. What a keeper!

Okay. So you get it! Antioxidants are doing good for us. But where are they in our food?

So, just like all those vitamins and minerals listed on the Nutrition Label, there are other healthful components in our fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, and mainly any plant, called Antioxidants, Phytonutrients or Phytochemicals. (all the same)

Basically, the term Phytochemical is used to describe a large group of compounds found in various plant foods. These are usually what you're talking about when you say ANTIOXIDANT, because most of them have those properties. Many have been connected with preventing against cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and more.

Certain phytochemicals have also been associated with decreasing inflammation, promoting skin and bone health, stimulating the immune system and - you guessed it - reducing oxidative stress to cells as an antioxidant.

So, pretty much, phytochemicals seem to be the real heroes behind the big, mask term of anti-oxidant. Luckily, they're prevalent in most of the foods we eat, too!

Eat The Rainbow

Phytochemicals are responsible for giving us all the radiant color in the food we eat. Therefore, incorporating a wide range of colorful food options into our diet increases the chances of reaping their benefits!

There are TONS of phytochemicals. Lurking inside our salads. Sneaking around our smoothies. Trying to make us healthier. What friends they are!

Just to give an idea of how many there are....

Whoa. That's a lot. And not even all of them! But, check it out... do see anything familiar? Any words ringing a bell?

If not, here are a few common examples of Phytochemicals that you may already know.

1. FLAVONOIDS

Flavo-whaaaaaaat? If you check the chart above, you can see flavonoids are a part of the Phenol group, and there are TONS of these little guys. Most of the popular phytochemicals we hear about are types of flavonoids. Even though the name sounds a bit funny, they are more common than you think. Check out some examples below!

1. Resveratrol: Connected with decreased risk of cancer and inflammation, and promotion of heart and lung health

• Most commonly found in grapes, dark chocolate, red wine, and peanuts. But, most importantly, red wine. Can someone say "Cheers"?
  

    2. Anthocyanins/Anthocyanidins: Connected with regulating the immune system and decreasing
         risk of cancer, tumor growth, and inflammation. Noted for it's anti-carcinogenic properties

• Most commonly found in purple and blue pigmented foods such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, plums, and red cabbage
  

    3. Catechins: (EGCG/ECG) Connected with reducing inflammation, decreasing risk of cancer,
          improved brain function, increased metabolic rate, and longer life span.

• Most commonly found in green tea, black tea, apples, apricots, pears, sweet potatoes, berries, and wine
  

2. CAROTENOIDS

This one should be easy - you can even hear one of the food sources in the name (psst - it's carrot). This type of terpene phytochemical is known for giving bright, warm hues to foods such as reds, oranges, and yellows, and even some deep greens. Can you think of any?

1. Beta-Carotene: Connected to reducing cancer risk, increases immune system and maintaining skin and eye health. Beta Carotene can covert into Vitamin A in the body.

• Most commonly found in carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, cantaloupes, red bell peppers and even dark, leafy greens
  

**Too much beta-carotene has been associated with harmless orange coloration of the skin (Ever seen an orange baby? Maybe they're eating too many pureed carrots?)**


    2. Lycopene: Connected with reducing risk of prostate, lung and and stomach cancers,
         cardiovascular disease, mental disorders and oral health.

• Most commonly found in tomato, tomato products, guava, watermelon, grapefruit, red cabbage and red bell peppers
  

    3. Luteins: Connected with eye health, decreased risk of cataracts and blindness, reduced risk of
         heart disease and cardiovascular disease.

• Most commonly found in rich colored foods like kale, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, collard greens, artichokes, and even egg yolks
  

3. Other Notable Phytochemicals

      Curcumin: A Phenolic compound that gives turmeric it's bright yellow/orange hue. Strongly connected with decreasing inflammation which includes symptoms of arthritis, cancers and disease. Also associated with decreased risk of cancer, balancing hormone levels and boosting immunity.

• Most commonly found in fresh, ground and dried turmeric. Best paired with Black Pepper as it contained Piperine, which when together increases antioxidant availability to the body. Woo!
  

      Vitamin A: Usually processed from Beta carotene. Pro-vitamin A is processed into Retinol which is actively used for eye and skin health.

     Vitamin E: Listed as Alpha-tocopherol in most ingredients - It is connected with skin health, wound healing, and aiding most skin irritations.

• More commonly used topically, but is also found in wheat germ, nuts, seeds, oils, and leafy greens.

**More isn't always better - Vitamin A and E are Fat Soluable Vitamins. This means they are absorbed and stored for longer periods of time in our body. This increases risk for toxic overload when we over-supplement, so be aware of your intakes.

     Vitamin C: Connected with wound healing, skin health, immune health, hormone balance, and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. We all know to boost up our Vitamin C intake around cold & flu season! Ah!

• Commonly found in citrus fruits, tomatoes, red and green peppers, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and strawberries.

Don't get mixed up, not all vitamins are phytochemicals. But these specific ones have been popularized for their antioxidant properties.

There are SO MANY more - but how long do you want to read this article for?

Plus, aren't you getting a bit hungry?

So to answer that question from before:
"What are the antioxidants in my blueberries?"

Answer: anthocyanins.
What about all those other foods we talked about in the beginning? Can you think of the phytochemicals present in Spinach or Brussels Sprouts?

Take these tips before you go

• All Day Every Day: Fruits & vegetables are beneficial for so many reasons and should be incorporated into your daily lifestyle to keep you living a long and healthful life.

• More than Meets the Eye: There is more to the foods we eat than just Protein, Fat and Carbs - think about the nutrition label for berries. Even though it didn't seem like they had much to them, they actually provide incredible benefit to your entire body.

• Too much of a Good Thing: While phytochemicals provide benefit to the body, it is always advised to stay within the daily limits. It is usually advised not to over-supplement anything, especially fat-soluble structures such as Vitamin A and E.

• Like A Rainbow: Eating a variety of colorful foods will ensure you're reaping all the sweet benefits phytochemicals have to offer. Furthermore, it will ensure you're eating a generally healthy and balanced diet.

• Stick to the Science: The internet is a useful tool, but can often be a place for strange information to bop around and misguide us. There's tons of scienctific research on various antioxidants and phytochemicals. If you're ever unsure, make sure to use a reliable source. Peggy on Instagram might not be so reliable. Use your gut.