Wellness Profiles: Understanding the Bigger Picture
The Wellness Profiles project began as a way to better understand the vitamins, minerals, plants, and natural compounds found in foods, herbs, and medicinal plants. The goal is to create an easy-to-understand resource that helps people learn more about health and wellness while also discovering plants that can be found in Ontario, Canada or grown in small spaces.
Over time, the Wellness Profiles collection has expanded beyond basic nutrition to include plant compounds and body systems. This allows readers to better understand not only the nutrients found in plants, but also how those nutrients and compounds may support different areas of the body and overall wellness.
This article serves as an overview of the Wellness Profiles library, showing what has already been added and where each profile fits within the growing collection.
Foundation 1: Vitamins
Vitamins are essential nutrients required by the body for growth, repair, energy production, immune function, and countless other processes.
Current Vitamin Profiles
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Water-Soluble Vitamins
These profiles form the nutritional foundation of the Wellness Profiles project.
Foundation 2: Minerals
Minerals are essential elements required for healthy bones, muscles, nerves, circulation, and cellular function.
Current Mineral Profiles
These minerals help explain many of the nutritional benefits found within plants and foods.
Foundation 3: Plant Compounds
Plants contain thousands of naturally occurring compounds beyond vitamins and minerals. These compounds help plants survive environmental stress and may contribute to human health and wellness.
The next stage of the Wellness Profiles project focuses on six major groups of plant compounds.
Polyphenols are among the most researched plant compounds and are often associated with antioxidant activity and cellular protection.
Current Profiles Already Added
General Categories
Individual Compounds
Future Profiles Planned
- Naringenin
- Hesperidin
- Eriodictyol
- Diosmetin
- Diosmin
- Chrysin
- Baicalein
- Baicalin
- Orientin
- Vitexin
- Isoorientin
- Isovitexin
- Ellagic Acid
- Gallic Acid
- Caffeic Acid
- Chlorogenic Acid
- Ferulic Acid
- Rosmarinic Acid
- Sinapic Acid
- Pelargonidin
This category will continue to grow as more flavonoids and polyphenols are researched and added.
Group 2: Terpenoids & Volatile Oils
These compounds often provide the aromas and flavours found in herbs and medicinal plants.
Individual Compounds
Many of these compounds are found in plants already used within Growing With Purpose and FIFE activities.
Group 3: Alkaloids
Alkaloids are biologically active compounds often associated with metabolism, energy, circulation, and nervous system support.
Group 4: Organosulfur Compounds
These sulphur-containing compounds are commonly found in garlic, onions, broccoli, mustard plants, and other members of the cabbage family.
Future Profiles Planned
- Sulforaphane
- Indole-3-Carbinol
- Ajoene
- Alliin
- DIM
- Allyl Isothiocyanate
- S-Allyl-Cysteine
- Diallyl Disulfide
- Glucoraphanin
Group 5: Carotenoids
Carotenoids are natural pigments responsible for many yellow, orange, and red colors found in fruits and vegetables.
Future Profiles Planned
- Beta-Carotene
- Lycopene
- Lutein
- Zeaxanthin
- Astaxanthin
- Cryptoxanthin
- Alpha-Carotene
- Fucoxanthin
- Crocetin
- Phytoene
Many of these compounds work closely with Vitamin A and support eye, skin, and immune health.
Group 6: Polysaccharides & Mucilages
These compounds often support digestive wellness, immune function, and tissue protection.
Future Profiles Planned
- Beta-Glucans
- Inulin
- Pectin
- Alginate
- Fucoidan
- Glucomannan
- Arabinogalactans
- Marshmallow Mucilage
- Slippery Elm Mucilage
- Acemannan
Foundation 4: Body System Profiles
In addition to nutrients and plant compounds, Wellness Profiles also includes information organized around major body systems.
Current Body System Profiles
These profiles help connect nutrients and plant compounds to the areas of the body they may support.
How Everything Fits Together
The Wellness Profiles project is designed to work like a growing library.
A person may begin with a body system such as the Heart, Liver, or Brain and discover nutrients and compounds associated with supporting that system.
They may then follow links to related vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds to learn more about where those nutrients are found and how they fit into a healthy lifestyle.
For example:
Heart
→ Magnesium
→ Potassium
→ Quercetin
→ Kaempferol
→ Lycopene
Brain
→ Vitamin B1
→ Vitamin B6
→ Apigenin
→ Luteolin
→ EGCG
Liver
→ Silymarin
→ Sulforaphane
→ Allicin
→ Vitamin E
This interconnected approach allows Wellness Profiles to become more than a collection of individual articles. It becomes a resource that helps people discover relationships between plants, nutrients, compounds, and overall wellness.
Looking Forward
The Wellness Profiles library continues to grow as new information is researched and added. While vitamins, minerals, body systems, and several flavonoid groups already form a strong foundation, the addition of the six major plant compound groups will greatly expand the educational value of the project.
Future additions may include:
- Medicinal Mushrooms
- Adaptogens
- Amino Acids
- Essential Fatty Acids
- Enzymes
- Prebiotics
- Probiotics
- Plant Proteins
- Native Ontario Wellness Plants
- Small-Space Growing Guides
The goal remains simple: to make health and wellness information easier to understand while helping people discover practical ways to improve their health through learning, growing, and informed choices.
Comments