Drinking fruit juice every day? Why not? Tasty and fresh! If a vegetable? Ih, unpleasant …. Our society is more concerned with “taste” rather than “benefit” to eat. And if you know the benefits of fruits and vegetables, may be the perception and our eating patterns will change.
During the fruit and vegetables is known as a source of vitamins and minerals that are advised to always have food on the menu daily.
In the recommendation to eat “healthy four-five perfect”, there are fruits and vegetables, in addition to staple food and side dishes. Therefore, people should already know the importance of fruit and vegetables, but in reality, the menu daily meals of Indonesia is more dominated by carbohydrates and very little fruit and vegetables.
In various studies conducted in developed countries these days, lots of fruit and vegetables is associated with its ability to protect the body from degenerative diseases.
This is because, other than as a source of vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables are also a source of food fiber and rich in antioxidants, particularly flavonoids belong.
Flavonoids, according to Robinson in his book Organic Ingredients, Plant High is a compound of carbon framework consisting of two clusters C (tersubstitusi benzene rings) connected by 3 carbon. Flavonoids are found in many plants, and more than 4,000 species have been identified. In the plant itself, flavonoids have a variety of functions, such as to attract insects that help pollinate, to help photosynthesis, antimikrobia, and antivirus.
Some examples of flavonoids known benefit to human health are isoflavones found in soy, catechins contained in tea, and contained in antosianin Duwet fruit and red wine.
Flavonoids absorption
In vitro (in test tube), a strong antioxidant activity of various flavonoids has been proven, but in vivo (in the living body) new bit of data.
The presence of flavonoids in foods previously considered not useful because most of flavonoids in plants, except catechins, are bound to sugars as glycosides.
These glycosides can not be absorbed because of large molecules. But then a lot of evidence indicates that flavonoids glycosides easily absorbed by humans and mice without first hydrolyzed.
Some studies that support this opinion, among others, in humans 36 healthy nonsmokers showed that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables 5 servings / day to 10 servings / day resulted in increased plasma antioxidant capacity significantly. The increase in plasma antioxidant capacity or total polyphenols in human plasma also occur after consuming red wine and grape juice.
The first phenomenon that flavonoids may serve as protection against heart disease presented in 1979 in a study using data from 17 countries. The results showed an inverse relationship between deaths from coronary heart disease and drinking wine.
This phenomenon is known as the French Paradox. French people who have the habit of drinking red wine after dinner is not a lot of coronary heart disease than North Americans on the same health conditions (serum cholesterol, saturated fat, blood pressure, smoking preference). It was only be hypothesized, wine consumption is more common in people of France who became the cause of resistance to heart disease. Then known that red wine contains flavonoids, which have a protective effect against coronary heart disease.
In addition, from a five-year study of elderly men in the Netherlands, it is known that consumption of tea, onions, and apples can reduce deaths from heart disease. Other studies in Finland and the United States showed similar results; also to the other 552 respondents in the Netherlands; showed that black tea consumption resulted in decreased risk of stroke, while the consumption of vitamin C and vitamin E alone did not lead to lower risk of stroke.
Flavonoids can also reduce the risk of death due to diabetic animal models. In rats fed flavonoids have seen lemon drop “TBARS values” (the units for the oxidation of lipids) in the liver, kidneys, and blood serum compared with diabetic rats not given the flavonoids. Lemon flavonoids in this emphasis affect lipid oxidation in the liver, kidney, and serum.
National Cancer Institute United States has even suggested to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables / day. A serving is one-time food, for example, for apples and oranges one medium size fruit (154 grams), while for wine half cup (138 grams).
Well, … let’s get busy-busy eating fruit and vegetable juices, and snacks and replace snacks with fruit and vegetables. Surely we will live healthier and free from the risk of various degenerative diseases. Good!
