Food Color Guides to Nutrients
Colors of Vegetables and Fruits Signal Their Nutritional Content
Mar 8, 2009
To determine which vegetables and fruits you should consume for you health issues, let color show you the way. According to Joy Baur, author of Joy's LIFE Diet, 2.5 to 4.5 cups of produce daily should supply you with a cross section of all the antioxidants you will need to stay healthy. She also suggests you vary colors daily. Here's a summary of her vegetable and fruit color palette.
Red Vegetables and Fruits
This includes watermelon. Yum! And beets are considered an excellent blood purifier. You probably know a bit about red grapes and cranberries. The red produce contain anthocyanidins and lycopene, powerful antioxidants that help fight heart disease, cancer and aging. According to research reports from Tufts University, produce with "high ORAC values" may protect against age-related memory loss. ORAC, or oxygen radical absorbency capacity, measures the antioxidant levels of foods.
When it comes to tomatoes, cooked tomatoes and tomato sauce are well known for promoting prostate health. So guys, enjoy your pizzas and pastas maybe three times a week.
Blue and Purple Vegetables and Fruits
Here's where those blueberries come in, as well as grapes and plums, prunes, blackberries, even raisins. Yum again! Black beans, which are actually dark blue and purple, are included. These are also high ORAC value foods, rich in flavonoids. Flavonoids are another form of antioxidants that fortify your cellular walls, protecting them from oxygen radicals that cause problems inter cellular and even DNA problems. Research has shown they are helpful with supporting heart health and preventing cancer, as well as reducing blood pressure and staving off memory loss.
Orange and Yellow
Of course, lemons and oranges are high in vitamin C. All the yellow and orange produce are rich with beta-carotene, which the body needs to produce vitamin A. Vitamin A is promotes healthy skin and eyes. Carrots, yams, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and even squash are among this color group. If you're a smoker (tsk-tsk), don't go overboard with the beta-carotene foods. High doses can increase the prospect of cancer among smokers!
The Greens
Not the political party that many consider radical, but the vegetables and fruits that fend off free radicals. Again, it may be best to steam spinach. Green salads enhanced with some arugula, and celery used among other veggies juiced are great. Don't forget the broccoli.
Greens are packed with healthful phytochemicals and nutrients. Folate, or folic acid, is important for developing red blood cells and protecting against colon cancer. Indoles help lower estrogen levels, which can reduce the risk of estrogen-related breast cancer, while lutein protects eyesight.
The Whites
Here come the bananas and potatoes, rich in potassium. Then there is garlic, which is considered nature's natural antibiotic. All the whites are rich in flavonoids.
Incorporating These into Your Diet
Try your best to purchase fresh, organic fruit and vegetables. Ideally, with the exception of spinach and other high oxalic produce, juiced or raw is best. Heat destroys the enzymes you need for optimal digestion of their nutrients. If you wish to try juicing, search for a low speed juicer that is easy to clean. High speed juicers produce enough heat to ruin many of those enzymes, and a hard to clean juicer can discourage you from using it often!
Don't forget to include beans, not canned, but raw. Those nutritional colors apply to the beans or legumes as well. It is best to buy the beans dry, soak them till they are soft enough to cook. Then change the water to cook them and mix them with whole grains. Yes, more hassle, but much healthier and less expensive!
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