Check your diet against the list below to find out if you are getting enough of what you need every day.
Orange:
Oranges, carrots, mangoes and pumpkins contain beta-carotene and cryptoxanthin.
Why We Need Them:
These cancer fighters and immune system boosters are antioxidant compounds that protect us against viral infections such as colds, flu, cystitis and skin conditions like acne. They lower the blood cholesterol and convert bad cholesterol into Vitamin A. This vitamin is important because it helps the body to produce the anti-bacterial enzyme lysozyme.
Tips For Eating: Add oranges to salads or meat dishes or squeeze as a juice. Eat carrots raw or lightly cooked or blend with orange juice for a breakfast drink.
Red:
Tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon all contain lycopene.
Why We Need It:
Lycopenes are antioxidants that protect us against cancers of the digestive tract, stomach, lungs and prostate gland. It also helps to stop the formation of LDL cholesterol low density lipoprotein (LDL), the bad cholesterol and thus is instrumental in protecting us from heart disease. One European study found that men who consumed food rich in lycopene were 50 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack when compared to those who didn’t.
Tips for Eating:
Add tomatoes to all your meat dishes, pasta and pizza sauces, or squeezes them to make tomato juice. Eat grapefruit and watermelons for breakfast or in fruit salads.
Purple:
Blackberries, mulberries, raisins, red grapes and red wine contain flavonoids.
Why We Need Them:
Flavonoids are antioxidants that help to prevent the formation of LDL which causes the build up of fatty deposits in your arteries. They maintain the blood vessels and keep them clear and healthy.
Tips for Eating:
Add a handful of raisins to meat dishes, deserts and salads and wash it all down with a glass of red wine.
Green:
Spinach, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts all contain glucosinolates and isothiocyanates.
Why We Need Them:
Glucosinolates are antioxidants that fight cancer of the breast and colon and break down to form isothiocyanates, which cause pre-cancerous cells to destroy themselves. They also may reduce the risk of developing diabetes. It is these substances that give broccoli and sprouts their distinctive smell.
