Eli5: what are phytochemicals

Question

Can you give me a simple explanation of what phytochemicals are. How are they different to phytonutrients?

In: Biology

Answer 1

You can understand how the terms interact like this:

All phytonutrients are phytochemicals, but not all phytochemicals are phytonutrients.

This is the case because “phytochemical” refers to any chemical that has its origin in a plant (phyto- being the Greek word for plant), and all nutrients are chemical compounds.

You can also find things like certain acid, certain antifungal compounds, and flavors in the category of “phytochemical.”