Fruits and Vegetables, most of us should be eating more. What do the different colors mean and what are the nutritional and health benefits of the different fruit and vegetable colors?
Apart from sweets and cakes, foods that are strong and bright in color are normally healthy for us. These foods have high quantities of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, they make us feel better, look better and live longer.
Eat foods that are all the colors of the rainbow. The health benefits differ depending on the color and the strength of the color. The fruit and vegetables that have the strongest or darker colors usually include the most nutrients and have the best health benefits.
Food color to avoid or limit?
The most common and popular color for food is beige or pale yellow, as seen in chips/crisps, various bread products and pasta. These foods may taste good and they’re usually cheap. However, they have very little nutritional value, they offer plenty of calories, but little else. Because they have little nutritional value, our bodies are not getting what they need, so we continue to feel hungry, which can lead to continuous eating, which causes weight gain and increased body fat. Plus, these low quality foods can damage us on the inside as well.
Why is color important in food?
There is a connection between the color of food and its nutritional value. It’s all down to phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are chemicals which develop naturally in plant life. These natural chemicals are believed to prevent disease, and have general protective properties. These phytochemicals affect the color of these foods, the darker or richer the color of the fruit or vegetable the greater the amount of health promoting chemicals that are contained within them.
Fruit & Vegetable Colors
Green vegetables provide good levels of vitamin K and potassium, and they are known to be good for the liver. Other benefits include improving the immune system, teeth and bones, and helping to fight muscle degeneration.
These dark color fruits such as pomegranates and blackberries are well known for their high levels of Anthocyanins, which are antioxidants.
Most red fruit and vegetables are known for their antioxidant and cancer preventative properties. They’re high in vitamin C. They also help prevent heart problems and heart attacks, good for a healthy prostate, and they help to slow down aging. Examples, cranberries, tomatoes, and red grapes.
High in vitamin C & A, which is good for the skin, helping and preventing skin problems, including anti-aging properties. Vitamin C is also good for the immune system, helping to prevent certain diseases. Oranges and peppers have high levels of vitamin C. carrots, apricots, and melons have high levels of Vitamin A.
Source
https://www.disabled-world.com/fitness/nutrition/fruits-veggies/colored.php
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