We use color to brighten and accentuate our homes, change our hair color to define who we are, dress in different colored clothing to express our personalities and instinctively enrich our children’s lives with gifts and toys designed to stimulate and energize or calm and soothe. In a myriad of ways color makes us who we are. So why not our food? If the idea of eating a plateful of vegetables and fruit leaves you uninspired, you may be depriving your body of essential elements it needs to stay healthy. The latest research suggests that eating an array of brightly colored foods not only adds pizzazz to your plate but will leave you healthier and protect you from many diseases and illnesses too. This is because they contain all the antioxidants we need to stay healthy. So what are antioxidants and how do they keep us healthy?
You may have heard that eating several helpings of fruit and vegetables a day is good for you. You know these foods contain health-giving vitamins and minerals that make us healthier, more energetic and prevent illness. But did you know that combining as many colorful fruits and vegetables in your diet can protect you from cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Just what is in these power packed treasures from nature? Could it be that a simple change in diet could help us live longer?
Why We Should Be Eating In Technicolor
We have come a long way from the days when our mothers urged us eat all our carrots because they were good for our eyes, but mom may have had the inside track on this one. From the juicy reds of tomatoes and apples to the crisp greens of spinach and lettuce our foods may provide the answer to keeping our bodies healthier. Foods aren’t colored the way they are simply to look attractive. Scientists have now proved the link between the colorful pigments found in fruits and vegetable and our basic health.
The red, orange, yellow, purple, blue and green pigments found in food are housed in carotenoids and flavonoids. These are powerful antioxidants that have the ability to absorb toxins in our bodies. These ‘plant doctors’ have the power to boost your immune system, lower your risk of heart disease and cancer and fight the free radicals that cause aging and degeneration of the body.
Hundreds of carotenoids have been identified in our foods but the most important are: alpha and beta carotene, lycopene, glucosinolates, anthocyanins, zeaxanthin and lutein. These little power-houses protect our hearts, stomach, eyes, breasts and prostate gland from the harm they are exposed to by pollution, smoking, drinking and bacterial and viral infections.
