Building a healthy diet often feels like a puzzle that is just too hard to solve. Most people know the basics of what should be in their diet to benefit health – fruits and veggies, lean proteins, etc. – but dialing it just right is challenging. It’s particularly tricky to strike a good balance when there is so many other tempting, but unhealthy, options promoted widely by major corporations. Eating healthy in the modern world is an uphill battle, to be sure.One categories of nutrients that is relatively unknown among the general public when it comes to an added health benefit is flavonoids. Despite the funny name, these nutrients are vital to human health and might warrant extra attention as they can work to fill the gaps when in search of a nutrient-dense diet.An increased focus on a healthy diet is important as the life expectancy in the U.S. has been suddenly and sharply declining in recent years. Over the period from 2019 to 2021, life expectancy in the U.S. fell by 2.7 years, something that hadn’t happened in more than a century. Simply put, despite all of the medical advances in tools, techniques, and medicine, people are not as healthy as they were previously. There can be many different reasons for that decline in health, but diet is surely near the top of the list.

Photo by Ella Olsson from Pexels

Given their positive impact on human health, it’s not a surprise to find that flavonoids are naturally occurring nutrients that can be found in a variety of plants. When consumed, flavonoids can have a range of positive impacts on the body, including reducing inflammation, fighting allergies, supporting the immune system, and much more. There has been research completed that indicates flavonoids may be able to fight against aging while promoting overall health across a range of systems in the body.Two of the primary causes of premature mortality also may be targeted by increased flavonoid intake. Cancer and cardiovascular disease are notorious killers in the United States, as well as in plenty of other places around the globe. If individuals can stand a better chance of avoiding these problems by bumping up their flavonoid consumption, the dietary change will have been well worth it.Fortunately, it’s not particularly difficult to find flavonoids sources to add to a diet. And, as would be suspected, these sources are going to be among foods that are already considered to be healthy for a range of reasons. Some of the top options for finding flavonoids include apples, cherries, berries, broccoli, onions, leafy greens, and red cabbage. In other words, most vegetables and fruits that you might be tempted to include in a healthy diet anyway are going to be a good fit to find some additional flavonoids.To be sure, flavonoids are not the only part of a healthy diet that should be attended to when building a menu to provide maximum benefit. However, given what was seen above, they are good for human health and shouldn’t be ignored. In the end, it’s usually a well-rounded, balanced diet that leads to the best possible results – both in the short- and long-term.

Sources:

Flavonoids have amazing health benefits: What they are, what they do and the easy ways to add them to your dietImportant Flavonoids and Their Role as a Therapeutic AgentFlavonoids: an overview