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ASAP Plant Minerals gives plants the ability to manufacture phytochemicals essential to human health. Minerals facilitate phytochemical synthesis in plants, and it is well acknowledged that soil has been stripped of most of these minerals of the past 50 years. Minerals act directly or act as co-factors in the chloroplasts cells of plants which are natures pharmaceutical factory. At this point we know that the plant kingdom can produce over 4000 flavonoids and 25,000 phytochemicals. This is dependent on the concentration of micro-minerals in soil. There is a direct relationship to the nutrient content in food and the nutrient content in soil. Many of the nutrient minerals in soil are taken into roots, stems, leaves, fruit and nuts. Plant made nutrients, like vitamins, are dependent on these same minerals. Here are some foods with some of the best phytomchemicals!

Avocados:
The green fruit with smooth, oily flesh confuses many people. It is high in calories and some people mistakenly believe the fat content raises cholesterol in the body. But the phytochemical beta-sitosterol makes the opposite true. Beta-sitosterol is one of the phytosterols - the equivalent in plants of cholesterol in animals. Because it is so similar in structure to cholesterol, beta-sitosterol competes with cholesterol for absorption into the body - and wins. The result is lower cholesterol in the bloodstream. Avocados also have more of the phytochemical glutathione than the other common fruits - three times more than oranges which have the second highest level. As an antioxidant, glutathione helps neutralize free radicals that can cause cell damage in the body leading to cancer and heart disease.

Blueberries:
The blue in blueberries holds one of the keys to the fruit's health benefits. The pigment, called anthocyanin, is a cancer-fighting antioxidant. While some fruits contain a few types of anthocyanins, blueberries have as many as 30 types and some in large concentrations. Besides their cancer-fighting compounds, blueberries contain a powerful anti-inflammatory agent called cyanidin which is helpful to arthritis sufferers.

Broccoli:
The key protective compound in broccoli (glucoraphanin, which the body turns into sulforaphane) is at least 20 times more concentrated in 3-day-old broccoli sprouts than it is in broccoli. A single ounce of sprouts has as much glucoraphanin as 1.25 pounds of cooked broccoli offering a simpler means of consuming potentially healthful quantities. Sulforphane triggers the production of phase II enzymes that detoxify cancer-causing chemicals and are among the most potent anti-cancer compounds known. When indole compounds in broccoli are digested and broken down by the stomach they turn into a compound called diindolylmethane or DIM, according to Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University. *DIM suppresses human breast cancer cell growth by preventing cancerous cells from dividing and multiplying. In addition, beyond preventing the actual spread of the disease, DIM also promotes the death of existing tumor cells by altering levels of certain proteins that keep tumor cells alive*.

Cherries:
The antioxidant anthocyanin found in blueberries also is present in cherries which gives the sweet fruit anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory qualities. In fact, cherries have the highest level of anthocyanins of all fruits making them comparable to low doses of ibuprofen and naproxen in helping to deal with inflammation. Cherries also are rich in two flavonoids, isoqueritrin and queritrin. Queritrin is one of the most potent anti-cancer agents ever discovered. There are other substances, yet unidentified, in cherry juice that may help prevent tooth decay.

Grapes:
Grapes join blueberries in fruit that contains anthocyanins but grapes also are the leading fruit containing the antioxidant resveratrol, a phytochemical that helps grapes fight fungus as they grow. Resveratrol is converted in the body to a known anti-cancer agent that can selectively target and destroy cancer cells. Concord grapes contain the most antioxidants. Concord grape juice has four times the antioxidant power of orange, tomato and grapefruit juice.

Spinach:
Only kale and collard greens have more of the carotenoid lutein than spinach. Lutein is an antioxidant in the eye. Since the body uses lutein to manufacture yet another antioxidant, the carotenoid zeaxanthin, you get two for the price of one. Spinach contains two vital antioxidants, gluthathione and alpha-lipoic acid. Though the body manufactures these antioxidants on its own, the self-production slows down as the body ages. Without gluthathione the body dies. Gluthathione detoxifies pollutants and carcinogens, maintains a healthy liver, boosts the immune system, aids in healthy cell replication, by repairing damaged DNA, and reduces chronic inflammation. The other anti-oxidant, alpha-lipoic acid, guards against stroke, heart attacks and cataracts and it strengthens memory. It turns off genes that can accelerate aging and cause cancer and helps the body break down sugar for energy production. Spinach is the most potent in protecting different types of nerve cells in various parts of the brain against the effects of aging.

It is clear, if you want to raise crops with these phytochemicals in abundance you need to use ASAP in your soil. ASAP Plant Minerals contains all the critical 14 essential minerals plants need to manufacture phytochemicals.