We all know we should eat our greens, but what about eating our reds, oranges, yellows, blues and purples too? For optimum nutrition, rather than taking a multi-vitamin, up the colour ante on your plate.
Let's face it, virtually all vegetables are good for us in some way, but to get a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, we need to eat a wide variety of vegetables. If your diet consists of the same veggies week in and week out, then you could be missing out on vital nutrients. Scientists and nutritionists have long made the connection between the natural pigments in vegetables and fruit and good nutrition.
All the Colours of the Rainbow
Green is the colour most closely associated with healthy and nutritious fruits and vegetables and for good reason. Green veggies get their colour from chlorophyll, and the darker green the better. Leafy greens such as spinach and kale contain folate, broccoli, brussel sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables are high in Vitamin C and fibre and contain phytochemicals that may prevent cancer. Lutein in leafy greens helps protect our eyes from macular degeneration.
Red is another colour that we associate with healthy eating – capsicum and tomatoes contain lycopene which could reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. The best way to obtain this nutrient is by cooking the tomatoes. Other reds include radishes, red apples, rhubarb and watermelon. And just so you know it's not just about the fruit and veg, resveratrol, an organic compound found in grapes and particularly in red wine, could help you live longer and delay the onset of age-related memory loss and other problems.
You might not associate blue and purple generally with things you can eat but blueberries and acai berries are considered to be extremely high in antioxidants. Anthocyanins give blue and purple foods their colour and you can also find them in eggplant, purple broccoli and purple cabbage. Figs and plums are also purple. Anthocyanins are antioxidants that are believed to decrease inflammation associated with arthritis and heart disease. (To be a purist, the resveratrol in red wine, mentioned earlier, is really from the anthocyanin.)
Sunny yellow and orange, found in carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and apricots, get their colour from caretenoids which our body turns into beta-carotene and uses to give us healthy eyesight and mucous membranes. They also build a strong immune system.
While it's probably healthier to steer clear of white bread, the same is not true of white vegetables and fruits. Potatoes baked in their skins contain potassium, and onions and garlic, known for their blood cleansing properties are also white and can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Don't forget potassium-rich bananas – they are white inside the skin! – and cauliflower, also a crucifer, contains vitamin C and may help protect against cancer.
Remember that everything in nature works in synergistic – and sometimes mysterious – ways, which is why it's much better to eat a wide range of natural foods rather than relying only on vitamin supplements. It's not just the particular vitamin, mineral or phytochemical that has specific effects but the way they work in synergy with the rest of our diet. So next time you're at the growers market, try something different like purple asparagus, or golden beetroot – you're unlikely to get these in the supermarket – and increase the nutritional quality of every meal. They also look very pretty on the plate!
Source: Medical News Today
Originally published on Mar 28, 2011
