On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 500

bones
Onions,parsley(responsibleagentsnot
yetidentified)
Encourage the growth of beneficial
bacteriaintheintestine
Onionfamily,sunchokes(inulin)
Prevent the adhesion of infectious
bacteriatowallsofurinarytract
Cranberries,grapes(phenolics:
proanthocyanidins)
Antioxidants in Plants Nowhere in living
things is oxidative stress greater than in the
photosynthesizingleafofagreenplant,which
harvests energetic particles of sunlight, and
uses them to split water molecules apart into
hydrogenandoxygenatomsinordertomake
sugars. Leaves and other exposed plant parts
are accordingly chock-full of antioxidant


molecules that keep these high-energy
reactions from damaging essential DNA and
proteins. Among these plant antioxidants are
the carotenoid pigments, including orange
beta-carotene, yellow lutein and zeaxanthin,
andtheredlycopenethatcolorstomatofruits.
Green chlorophyll itself is an antioxidant, as
are vitamins C and E. Then there are
thousands of different “phenolic” compounds
builtfromringsof6carbonatoms,whichplay
several roles in plant life, from pigmentation

to antimicrobial duty to attracting and
repelling animals. All fruits, vegetables, and
grainsprobablycontainatleastafewkindsof
phenoliccompounds;andthemorepigmented
and astringent they are, the more they’re
likelytoberichinphenolicantioxidants.
Eachplantpart,eachfruitandvegetable,
hasitsowncharacteristicclusterof
antioxidants.Andeachkindofantioxidant
generallyprotectsagainstacertainkindof
moleculardamage,orhelpsregeneratecertain