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Grad Student Profile
THE NEXT-BEST TO FRESH Blueberry research embraces processing to deliver phytochemical punch in model study for human health By Juliana Proffitt McCully
When Monique Carvalho Templeton thinks of “processed food,” she isn’t talking about junk with a chemical-laden label, but an optimized way to deliver the health benefits of anti-inflammatory phytochemicals to populations that face fresh-food barriers. Carvalho Templeton recently completed a PhD in nutrition science at the Plants for Human Health Institute, where her doctoral research centered on a pilot study at the intersection of health and access. It’s increasingly clear, she says, that eating fruits and vegetables can be protective against inflammation and chronic diseases such cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
“If the population doesn’t consume a diverse diet, either because they don’t have access by location or cost, or because they don’t like the taste, they really need other ways of supplementing daily needs for vitamins and minerals, because that’s what we really need for our body to work in a functional way and to avoid diseases.”
“Research has shown great benefits coming from compounds such as phytonutrients, including flavonoids, which come in very high amounts in blueberries,” Carvalho Templeton says. “If the population doesn’t consume a diverse diet, either because they don’t have access by location or cost, or because they don’t like the taste, they really need other ways of consuming phytonutrients and supplementing daily needs for vitamins and minerals, because that’s what is essential for our body to work in a functional way and to avoid diseases.” The BAM Study enrolled participants to learn more about how the body absorbs polyphenols in fresh blueberries compared to a minimally processed blueberry protein bar. The focus was to build a model for studying how phytochemicals in fruits are used and eliminated by the body.
What is “Processed”? Processed means a food is taken in its whole form and changed in some way. Maybe it’s flash-frozen, portioned or packaged for convenience, or maybe other ingredients have been added to create a different food. Cooking from scratch is one way to process food, while microwaveable foods are pre-processed for consumption, for example.
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