Food as Medicine - Quercetin

Every fork in the road is another possibility to get some food as medicine.

I try to eat at least two blue foods a day. Blue, black, and purple foods are rich in anthocyanins. These eradicate cancer cells. For example, black rice has a lot of anthocyanins. When black rice extract is mixed with ER+ breast cancer cells in the lab, these cells actually die.

Yesterday I put capers in my turkey/grass-fed burger. These are the richest food source of quercetin. The quercetin in capers, C. spinosa extract had significant anti-tumor effects and may be regarded as an ideal natural drug for cancer therapy.

Purple kale, purple cabbage, dandelion with reddish stems, radicchio, black rice, eggplant skins, purple carrots, and even purple corn chips, all are rich in anthocyanins.

Quercetin

Quercetin is a pigment that adds color to many fruits and vegetables. It’s found mainly in the skins and leaves of plants. Light stimulates the production of quercetin, so an apple at the top of a tree may have more quercetin than one that doesn't get as much direct sunlight.

Quercetin may be referred to as a phytochemical, polyphenol, or flavonoid. Phytochemicals are substances produced by plants that may have health benefits for humans.

If you’re eating several servings of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, you’re likely consuming robust amounts of natural quercetin. Quercetin is found in the outer layers of colorful onions, kale (purple kale gives you anthocyanins + quercetin), cherry tomatoes, broccolini (which has a lot more nutrients than broccoli), and apples. And in capers. In fact, capers are amazing, tasty, and THE BEST form of food quercetin.

Looking at food as medicine doesn’t mean you can’t go out and eat a totally fun and decadent meal. It means that most of the time you’re giving your body great fuel to stay well.

Can you look out over your meals over a day and see that you are giving your amazing body amazing fuel to keep you stunningly well?

Dr. B.

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References:

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2014;15(15):6219-25. Anti-metastasis activity of black rice anthocyanins against breast cancer: analyses using an ErbB2 positive breast cancer cell line and tumoral xenograft model.

The Anti-cancer Effects of Capparis spinosa Hydroalcoholic Extract. Avicenna J Med Biotechnol. 2019 Jan-Mar;11(1):43-47. PMID: 30800242; PMCID: PMC6359694.

Anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic potential of dietary flavonoids: A review. Biomed Pharmacother. 2022 Dec;156:113945. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113945. Epub 2022 Oct 31. PMID: 36411631.