DEEPIKA RATHOD
Richly coloured vegetables and fruits are pleasing to the eye and appear fresh and nutritious in the store, this tempts us to buy them. Different colours indicate a wide variety of nutrients in fruits and vegetables. Flavonoids, the natural pigments that give plants their colour, have antioxidant, or cell-protecting properties. Some food manufacturers use dyes to make their products more attractive to shoppers and so buying organic produce may ensure that you get the antioxidants you expect from a brightly coloured fruits or vegetables. Different colours indicate different nutrient profiles, focus on getting a little of each colour in your diet every day to maximise the nutritional benefits. Here are few healthy colour options for you:
Blue and purple: These fruits and vegetables contain anthocyanins, natural plant pigments with powerful antioxidant properties that may reduce ones risk of cardiovascular disease. They also contain flavonoids and ellagic acid, compounds that may destroy cancer cells, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. The anthocyanins and ellagic acid in blueberries have been shown to fight cancer cells in the lungs, stomach, breasts and pancreas. Anthocyanins and ellagic acid also show anti-inflammatory properties that may prevent cancers of the esophagus and colon.
These compounds are found in fruits and vegetables such as eggplant, purple cabbage, purple peppers, purple onions, purple sweet potato, blueberries, black/purple grapes, cranberries, etc.
Orange and yellow: Most orange and yellow fruits and vegetables are rich in beta-carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A, a nutrient that not only improves night vision, but also helps keep your skin, teeth and bones healthy. They also contain folate, an antioxidant that prevents neural tube defects in unborn infants. An adequate vitamin A intake may also lower your risk of cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
Vegetables and fruit, such as papaya, carrots, butternut squash, yellow and orange bell peppers, pumpkin, corn and sweet potatoes, are rich in pigments called carotenoids.
Red: Red fruits and vegetables, such as raspberries, tomatoes, red pepper, guava, watermelon, red cabbage, kidney beans, cherries, strawberries and beets, are likely to be rich in the antioxidants lycopene and anthocyanins. A medium raw tomato provides 3.2 micrograms of lycopene, a carotenoid that helps your body make vitamin A. Many plant foods with natural red pigments contain lycopene, an antioxidant phytonutrient that may help protect against prostate cancer. Red vegetables also contain flavonoids called anthocyanins, which have antioxidant properties that may help boost immunity and reduce your risk of disease. They may also benefit your memory and protect urinary tract health.
Green: Green vegetables are good for your eyes, bones and teeth, and their vitamin K content helps blood clot properly. A two-cup serving of raw spinach provides 290 of the 90 to 120 micrograms of vitamin K needed each day. The antioxidant, vitamins, particularly vitamins C and E from green food may lower the risk of chronic diseases. They provide the phytonutrients lutein and zeaxanthin and antioxidant nutrients deposited in the retinas of one’s eyes which may protect one from vision loss due to eye diseases such as macular degeneration. Collard greens, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, celery, peas, spinach, fenugreek, green cucumber, kiwi, green apple and zucchini are a good source.
White: White fruits and vegetables, including apples, pears, bananas, cauliflower, garlic, mushroom, white onions, radish and cucumbers are high in dietary fibre, help protect one from high cholesterol and are rich in flavonoids such as quercetin which is abundant in apples and pears. A study by American Heart Association in 2011 found that people with a high intake of white fruits and vegetables had a 52 per cent lower risk of stroke. White foods activate our natural killer cells and reduce the risk of cancer.
Fruits and vegetables come in all colours and these colours are more than pretty and reflect the presence of powerful phytonutrients (antioxidants), naturally occurring chemicals that shield plants from disease and bacteria while they grow. When you ingest plant foods in a spectrum of colours, you reap benefits of these phytonutrients. So go ahead and enjoy the colourful basket of health.
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