Kirsty's Vitality

Essential Nutrients - Bioflavonoids

Bioflavonoids were once known as vitamin P; there are many different types of this important nutrient, all of which we must source from the food we intake as part of a healthy diet, as the body has no capacity to produce them itself. The different types of bioflavonoids include; hesperidin, quercetin, and rutin.

Bioflavonoids – what do they do?

Bioflavonoids have a variety of uses for the body, one of which is aiding the body’s ability to absorb vitamin C (you should take both together if possible) and together, these nutrients provide protection for capillaries and help to preserve their structure. They have antibacterial properties, help with healthy circulation and provide relief for bruises, pain and athletic injuries - so you can see why these nutrients are an essential element of your healthy diet.

Looking at some of these bioflavonoids individually, quercetin has fantastic anti-histamine properties, while rutin can help to improve circulation and provides support to the capillaries as mentioned above.

Bioflavonoids – where can I find them?

The best way to get bioflavonoids through a healthy diet is to eat the following foods:

- Peppers
- Buckwheat (a good source of rutin)
- Blackcurrants
- Apricots
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Rosehips
- Blue green algae (a good source of quercetin)

Another food source that is high in bioflavonoids is the bitter, white covering of citrus fruits that you can see just under the fruit peel.