From Antioxidants to Heart Health: The Incredible Benefits of Polyphenol-Rich Foods

When considering buying foods with nutritional value, carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals are often the main focus. These nutritional considerations are divided into macronutrients and micronutrients.

However, some may overlook polyphenol-rich foods and the benefits they can have on the human body. In this blog of infuse skincare, we will explore what polyphenol-rich foods are and what the benefits of polyphenols are. Let's get into it!

What Are Polyphenols?

Polyphenols are natural compounds in plant foods such as fruits, herbs, tea, vegetables, dark chocolate, and wine. The amount and type of polyphenols in a food can vary depending on its type. There are at least 8,000 known types of polyphenols that are divided into four main groups:

Flavonoids: Flavonoids have the highest concentration of polyphenols, with 60% of all known polyphenols in these foods. These polyphenols can be found in apples, onions, and dark chocolate.
Phenolic acids: This collection of polyphenols only covers 30% of all polyphenols and can be commonly found in cereal grains or ferulic and chlorogenic acids in coffee.
Polyphenolic amides: This category holds polyphenols usually found in oats or chili peppers.
Other polyphenols: The remaining percentage of polyphenols is found in grapes, red wine, sesame seeds, and turmeric.

What Are the Benefits Of Polyphenols, and Why They Are Important?

Polyphenols help protect plants from environmental stressors like UV rays and pathogens, and they offer numerous health benefits when consumed by humans. They are potent antioxidants, fighting free radicals that can cause damage linked to aging, cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Polyphenols and heart health are also connected, as are polyphenols and antioxidants.

Additionally, their anti-inflammatory properties help regulate the body’s immune response, crucial in helping to prevent conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and arthritis. If you add polyphenol-rich foods to your diet for health reasons, you may perhaps go a step further by looking for polyphenol-rich skincare to help keep your skin healthy, too.

Polyphenol-Rich Foods You Can Try To Enjoy The Benefits

To help you with what foods you want to incorporate, we have provided a list of the top polyphenol-rich foods you can try to enjoy the benefits of this compound:

Berries: Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries.
Cocoa: Dark chocolate and cocoa powder.
Coffee: Whole-bean coffee specifically.
Tea: White tea, black tea, or green tea.
Spices: Turmeric, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon.
Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and hazelnuts.
Seeds: Chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds.
Red wine: High-polyphenol grape versions of wine such as cabernet sauvignon.
Olives: Whole olives in brine or oil.
Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil.
Vegetables: Spinach, kale, red cabbage and artichokes.
Soy: Edamame, tempeh and tofu.
Whole grains: Quinoa, oats, and whole wheat.

The Wrap up on The Incredible Benefits Of Polyphenol-Rich Foods

Polyphenol-rich foods can provide several health benefits that will keep your body and skin healthier by packing a nutritional punch. Now that you have a good understanding of polyphenol-rich foods, you will be able to pick and choose how you want to incorporate them into your daily diet. There’s nothing to lose and much to gain!

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