Recent research suggests that if your plate looks like a little piece of the rainbow, with fresh vibrant colours, you could be reaping the benefits of a healthy meal.
Mother nature sure had fun with colours when she was creating fruits and vegetables – red tomatoes, yellow corn, green spinach, and purple brinjals. While making food look attractive and appetising, she also managed to provide us with an indicator of exactly what nutrient each fruit and vegetable had to offer.
The importance of colour in your diet
Research shows that the pigmentation that provides fruits and vegetables with their colour also makes them extremely nutritious. The deeper the colour, the more of that nutrient it has.
Also, seasonal fruits in the summer are exposed to peak sunlight, thus they end up getting more sunlight and consequently more chlorophyll pigment and are therefore better on nutritional value.
So if your plate looks like a delight with an array of colourful fruits and vegetables, it’s probably extremely healthy as well. In fact, the deeper the colour of the fruit or vegetable, the higher it will be on the protection score and antioxidant value. The antioxidant property of the fruit/vegetable is directly proportional to the depth or density of its colour. Deeper colour fruits and vegetables also have better Oxygen Radicle Adsorption Capacity (ORAC).
Benefits of different coloured foods
Here’s a list of some commonly found colours on the Indian plate.
Red – Think luscious tomatoes and sweet watermelons. The colour generally indicates the presence of lycopene which is known to reduce the risk of cancer.
Naturally red foods – strawberries, apples and watermelons.
Green –
Foods that are green are packed with sulforaphane, isothiocyanate, and indoles which simulate the liver genes to produce compounds which help to keep cancer producing chemicals in check.
Naturally green foods – cabbage, broccoli and green peas.
White – Th
ese flavonoid packed fruits and vegetables act as antioxidants and also help to protect the cell membrane.
Naturally white foods – copious amounts of onions, garlic and pears will ensure your body gets its fill of flavonoid.
Purple – The colour is created by anthocyanins which helps in increased blood flow, and improves kidney and eye functions.
Naturally purple foods – Add grapes in your cornflakes or eggplant in your salads to let this colour work its magic.
Orange –
Remember Bugs Bunny munching on a carrot? What you probably didn’t know then is that orange coloured food contains alpha and beta-carotenes which help your cells to communicate better with each other and help prevent cancer. Some orange coloured food like oranges and papayas are also rich in Vitamin C which aid cell protection.
Naturally orange foods – Oranges, papayas, carrots, musk melon, mango
Yellow – The colour signals tonnes of carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, which are good for eye health.
Naturally yellow foods – A dash of turmeric in your curry, a generous sprinkling of corn in your sabzis or just a banana after your meal will add a colourful element with a dollop of health in each bite.
The truth is, food that looks good often ends up tasting better. So next time, if your plate looks dull and lifeless, toss in a generous helping of some wonderfully colourful fruits and vegetables and transform your regular lunch to one overflowing with the goodness of nature.
Reviewed by Ryan Fernando, Performance Nutritionist and Weight Management Expert, QUA Nutrition
Photograph 1 courtesy Rick McCharles, via Creative Commons and sxc.hu
