CHAPTER 19

PHYTONUTRIENTS AND GOING ORGANIC—

Eat Your Vegetables and Fruits!

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What are phytonutrients? Where are they found? And why should endurance athletes include an abundance of them in their diet?

 

 

 

The term “phyto” originally comes from the Greek word meaning plant. Phytonutrients refer to those organic components of plants that are known to promote health and immune function—and there are literally thousands of them. Unlike the traditional nutrients—carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals—phytonutrients are composed of chemical compounds such as carotenoids, which are the red, orange, and yellow pigments in fruits and vegetables.

Basically, all vegetables and fruits should be considered plant foods. Generally, fruits are foods that contain a seed or seeds inside, whereas vegetables have separate seeds usually not contained inside but found on a stalk or other part of the plant. Both vegetables and fruits contain some carbohydrates, some high enough for those who are carbohydrate intolerant to avoid. These include most potatoes, corn, watermelon, and pineapple (these are less natural as they’ve been genetically modified through the years to produce much higher levels of starch and sugar). All types of dried fruits, including raisins, are also very concentrated carbohydrates that may be problematic for those sensitive to carbohydrates.

Some foods that are technically fruits are usually thought of as vegetables: avocados, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, squash, and other fruits that are not sweet, although healthy. What’s important to know is that vegetables and fruits should make up the bulk of your diet. Most people don’t eat enough vegetables and fruits, and there are very, very few who eat too much of this good thing. I often recommend as a general guideline that adults try to eat at least ten servings of vegetables and fruits per day. Many of these should be raw and most, if not all, should be fresh.

What is a serving? Traditionally, many have considered a serving to be a half-cup. More recently, however, many dietary guidelines have recommended different approaches for measuring servings. For instance, a serving of lettuce might be a cup and a half; a serving of carrots might be one medium carrot; a serving of broccoli is one medium stalk; and a serving of asparagus is five spears. Using guidelines like these will help you to eat more vegetables than using the traditional half-cup serving.