Nutrients found in food play a vital role in maintaining our health and well-being. Eating an assortment of various colored fruits and vegetables is essential for the functioning of our body systems. Consuming the right micronutrients and macronutrients in appropriate quantities, can help build cells, detoxify the body, and improve the immune system thereby strengthening the body. This will ultimately help the system fight diseases efficiently.
Research has shown that specific nutrients have particular colors. Greater the color in the food, greater is the amount of that nutrient in the food. Eating various colored fruits and vegetables is the key to fighting off diabetes, heart strokes and different types of cancers. Taking help from professionals like dieticians or personal trainers is helpful in this regard. They can chalk out the right plan which includes the amount of each type of food you should have depending on your body type, daily routine and other factors. All you have to do is stick to the diet plan they make, in order to ensure that your body gets all the colored food it requires to stay fit and healthy.
Studies conducted by various scientists have identified the importance of colors in various colored foods.
Red: Red colored food like tomatoes, beetroots, cherries, watermelons, strawberries, red potatoes, pomegranates etc contain natural plant pigments called lycopenes or anthocyanins. Lycopenes have been seen to reduce risk of several types of cancers especially prostate cancers.
Orange/ Yellow: Food like yellow apples, grapefruit, lemons, mangoes, papayas, nectarines, peaches, pears, pumpkins etc contain pigments called carotenoids. They also contain Vitamin C which protects cells.
Blue/ Purple: Blackberries, blueberries, figs, plums, raisins, purple grapes contain pigments called anthocyanins and phenolics. They act as antioxidants and help reduce the risk of diseases like cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's. It is also said that they can even slow down the aging process. They also improve memory function.
Green: These foods contain chlorophyll. They help reduce the risk of cataract, age related macular degeneration and protect the skin from UV damage. They are high in fiber content and are very good sources of potassium, magnesium and folate. Examples of green foods are leafy vegetables, cabbage, broccoli, cucumbers, green onions, spinach etc.
White: The white color in foods like mushrooms, garlic, onions, bananas, cauliflower, turnips etc is largely attributed to the presence of phytochemicals called flavonoids and allicins. They contain pigments called anthoxanthins. White foods help reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease and stomach cancer.
Scientists refer to eating colorful food as a ‘rainbow diet’ or ‘eating a rainbow’. Therefore, you have to ensure that you consume a wide range of colored, natural foods, so that a various nutrients are obtained by your body. In case eating sufficient amounts of colorful fruits or vegetables is not possible, you can compensate for it by drinking various types of fruit and vegetable juices. However, drinking juices cannot compensate for the high amount of fiber content that the body gets by eating fruits or vegetables.
To sum it up, eating such foods can boost energy, fight heart diseases, reduce the risk of urinary and gastrointestinal tract diseases, strengthen immunity, improve eyesight, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, lower the risk of diverculitis, control weight by lowering the calorie intake and lower the risk of various cancers by breaking down cancer causing chemicals in the body.
Published At: Isnare.com
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