Question

What are phytochemicals and what is their function?

Answer 1

Phyto” comes from the Greek word for “plant”, and so phytochemicals are essentially chemical compounds that can be found in plant foods like fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. In general, these chemical compounds give plant-based foods their distinctive color, and taste.Eating a diet high in fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and plant-based beverages has long-term health benefits, but there is no evidence that taking dietary supplements of non-nutrient phytochemicals extracted from plants similarly benefits health.Phytochemical supplements are neither recommended by health authorities for improving health nor approved by regulatory agencies for health claims on product labels.