TYLER TOLMAN BLOG
Quercetin | Antioxidant Benefits Found in Fruits and Vegetables
Quercetin | Antioxidant Benefits Found in Fruits and Vegetables
When people talk and think about eating healthy, I find the focus tends to be more on what foods provide which vitamins and minerals. But there are many more hidden, less talked about components of whole foods that are just as important as vitamins and minerals. One of which is quercetin.
What is Quercetin?
Quercetin is a natural pigment found in a group of plant compounds called flavonoids. This natural component is the most abundant dietary flavonoid in foods. It’s been estimated that the average person consumes 10-100mg of quercetin on a daily basis through various food sources.
Like other types of flavonoids, quercetin functions as an antioxidant that binds to and neutralises free radicals. And as we know, free radicals are those little unstable molecules that, when there is an overload, can cause cellular damage within the body. This damage is linked to aging and many diseases such as heart disease and autoimmune disorders.
Where can I get it?
As mentioned before, quercetin is found in the common fruits, vegetables and grains that we eat regularly. You are probably already eating most of these foods on a regular basis, so there’s no need to go to any lengths to change what you’re eating, or drive miles to find anything special.
For the wine drinkers, you’ll be happy to hear you are getting a quercetin dose through your red wine even – moderation of this source is key though.
Red onions have been shown to have the highest content of quercetin. Keeping in mind that onions, along with all other sources, lose a portion of their quercetin content during storage and food preparation. Fresh and raw is best, I say!!
Quercetin is commonly consumed through supplements. However, we all know how I feel about supplements versus just eating whole foods to get all the nutrition you need. #dontevengetmestarted
Then as a bonus boost of nutrient goodness, if you consume quercetin-rich foods with bromelain-rich foods (pineapple), the absorption level of quercetin has been shown to increase.
Benefits
So what are the benefits… what does quercetin do for your health?
In many of my blogs I have spoken a lot about the benefits of antioxidants and the role they play in helping your body to combat free radical damage to assist in preventing and fighting chronic diseases.
Let me just list some of the big hitter diseases as a little reminder of the importance of eating antioxidant-rich foods:
– Autoimmune disorders
– Cancer
– Cardiovascular diseases
– Diabetes
Along with the major diseases quercetin helps, it has also been known to reduce inflammation and blood pressure, combat allergy symptoms, boost immunity and aid exercise performance (to name a few).
I could also add that quercetin is great for maintaining general health, but I feel this is an obvious benefit when eating whole foods.
The idea of consistently eating whole foods to naturally get all the nutrients Mother Nature provides for us… yes they will assist with all the health issues I have mentioned above, but 100% they will help to PREVENT these health issues also. We need to be proactive with our health, because waiting until a disease presents itself is much harder than paying attention to what we are putting into our bodies now.
It doesn’t have to be hard, just maybe a little challenging to start to get on the right path of a new mindset when considering what foods to eat. I continue to teach the benefits of whole foods and how to really implement a healthy and sustainable lifestyle in my 3-day event H•E•A•L (Health, Education and Lifestyle). I’d love to see you there.
Thanks for reading!
