VeggieSensations.com

Fruits and vegetables are the color they are for a reason. Here is a bit of information to help you eat healthy. You usually choose which fruits and vegetables to eat by their taste. Consider choosing them for their color. The color gives you an indication of its nutritional value. By eating a variety of different colored fruits and vegetables you will get a wider variety of nutrients your body needs.

A general rule of thumb is, the darker the color, the more nutrients you will get. Iceberg lettuce does not contain nearly as much iron as spinach. Cup for cup you will get 8 times more iron in spinach than iceberg lettuce. Another example of a deeper color benefit is a red grapefruit has 25 times more vitamin A than white grapefruit. I am not saying you should not eat white grapefruits. Each fruit and vegetable has its own balance of valuable nutrients. By eating a variety you will get the nutrients you body needs.

Blue and purple fruits like blackberries, blueberries, black currents, elderberries, purple figs, purple grapes, plums, prunes and raisins contain antioxidants such as polyphenols and anthocyanins which may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The same benefits are in vegetables such as purple asparagus, purple Belgian endive, purple cabbage, eggplant, purple peppers and purple potatoes. The highest level of polyphenols and anthocyanins is found the fruit or vegetable skins.

Lutein is an antioxidant. It promotes eye health, primary in the retina of your eye. Lutein is found in green foods.

Fruits that contain Lutein are kiwifruit and limes. Vegetables containing this phytonutrient are green. The vegetables that contain the most are kale, spinach, peas, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, pistachio nuts, broccoli and corn.

White, tan, and brown fruits and vegetables contain allicin. Allicin has the ability to dissolve fats. Allicin is also the chemical that causes the hot, burning flavor of fresh garlic. To get the most allicin benefit you must eat these fruits and vegetables raw. Allicin degrades slowly while being stored and is rapidly destroyed by cooking.

These fruits, Bananas, dates, white nectarines, white peaches and brown pears and vegetables cauliflower, white corn, garlic, ginger, Jerusalem artichoke, jicama, kohlrabi, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, white verities of potatoes, shallots and turnips are important for their powerful antibacterial and anti-fungal compound.

Yellow and orange fruits and vegetables are high in vitamin C, as well as carotenoids. Carotenoids are efficient free-radical scavengers helping to reduce the risk of cancer.

Examples of fruits with these nutrient benefits are yellow apples, apricots, cantaloupe, cape gooseberries, yellow figs, grapefruit, golden kiwifruit, lemons, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papaya, peaches, yellow pears, persimmons, pineapple, tangerines, yellow watermelon. Vegetables are yellow beets, carrots, yellow corn, yellow peppers, yellow potatoes, pumpkin, rutabagas, butternut squash, yellow summer and winter squash, sweet potatoes and yellow tomatoes.

Red fruits and vegetables contain Lycopene and Ellagic Acid. Ellagic Acid is believed to slow the growth of some tumors caused by certain carcinogens. It is also believed to reduce heart disease, birth defects, liver problems, and to promote wound healing. Lycopene is one of the most potent carotenoid antioxidants. It does not cook out of foods and actually becomes more concentrated when cooked. Tomato paste has 4 times more lycopene that a fresh tomato of the same weight.

Red apples, cherries, cranberries, pink & red grapefruit, red grapes, oranges, red pears, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, and rosehip are red fruits that have lycopene and ellagic. Vegetables are beets, red onions, red peppers, red potatoes, radicchio, radishes, rhubarb and tomatoes.

6/12/07 Reference: How Stuff Works Eating a Rainbow by Betsy A. Hornick and Eric Yarnell

Wikipedia: polyphenols, anthocyanins, lutein, allicin, carotenoids, lycopene and ellagic

Copyright by VeggieSensations.com 6/12/2007