The Importance of the color on your plate.

There’s an old saying that goes a bit like this:

“To be healthy, eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables.”

As it turns out, people have been onto something here.

Research has revealed that we need to consume all sorts of fruits and vegetables because each color contain essential nutrients that deliver unique benefits.

Green

We intuitively associate green with health and vitality. Green veggies are some of the most nutritionally-charged foods around. They are packed full of fiber, vitamins like A, C, E and K, and minerals such as zinc and iron.

Vegetables like spinach, broccoli, peas, and kale contain lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which may help protect against age-related eye problems.

Green foods also contain a range of phytochemicals - compounds that help fight against cancer.

White and Brown

Much like yellow foods, white and brown veggies are also rich in potassium which has been shown to help maintain healthy blood pressure, promote kidney and heart health and helps reduce stress and anxiety.

White fruits and vegetables can get their color from anthoxanthins, a compound that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and arthritis. Good examples to include in your diet are whole grains, cauliflower, ginger, quinoa, banana, garlic, and coconut.

White foods have also been shown to reduce oxidative tissue damage.

Purple and Blue

Purple and blue foods are rich in anthocyanins - a type of flavonoid with many antioxidant properties.

Foods rich in anthocyanins have been shown to deliver incredible health benefits such as to reduce symptoms of the common cold, treat urinary tract infections, and reduce inflammation.

Blue and purple foods such as beetroot, prunes, blueberries, blackberries, figs, raisins, figs, and cabbage have also been shown to promote and maintain eye health, increase immunity, and aid in food digestion.

Orange and Yellow

The orange and yellow food group gets its color from carotenoids, a type of phytonutrient that has been associated with numerous health benefits.

Fruits and veggies that contain carotenoids work as antioxidants by fighting against free radical - a process that protects healthy cells, tissues, and organs.

Fruits and veggies such as lemons, oranges, mandarins, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, mango, corn, and pineapple improve immune function, reduce the risk of heart disease, and promote eye health, among other things.

Also, foods such as bananas and parsnip are a great source of potassium, a mineral that is essential for normal heart and muscle function.

We also have cauliflower, turnip, and cabbage that contain sulforaphane - a compound associated with cancer prevention, strengthening bone tissue, and maintaining healthy blood vessels.