Welcome to the Natural Life
The Color of Food
by Joann Tomasulo
Lately, I’ve been pleasantly surprised when I hear my little boy and his friends talk about food. They are now stating ” We need to eat colorful foods Mom.”. Those are the healthy ones.” Okay! I will not argue with that! In our house, as hard as we tried to keep the food varied, our son, Finn started wanting only “white” foods. You can imagine my interest when he came home from school with his new colorful resolve.
So let’s look at color for a moment. Why do foods have it? Well as it turns out, in the scientific world the correct word to describe color is, pigment. Pigment or color has meaning. In food, for one, it makes the food look appealing. Then, they tip you off to it’s ripeness and freshness and let you know what one variety is over another PLUS, have health benefits. Well here again, Mother Nature rules! Built into all the beauties from the earth, are pigments, key players in the evolution and sustainability of the food itself.
So to make it simple and sweet, which is a difficult thing to do without becoming so scientific and multi layered with big words that bog us down so we end up losing the essence of the information. The most important thing to know is that fruits and vegetables with color, especially deep rich hues, contain so many potential disease fighting antioxidant properties. These include pigments, phytochemicals, trace minerals and vitamins. All those elements help fight free radicals.
Everyday we produce cell-damaging free radicals. Vigorous exercise, smoking, medications, and exposure to air pollutants will all increase the amount produced in the body. Luckily, we have physiological systems in place that act as little vacuums that clean up free radicals as they are produced. But, our ability to squelch free radicals is highly dependent on the adequacy, or colorfulness, of our diet.
I’m listing the skinny on some pigments and their potential health benefits. Other foods contain these powerful antioxidants as well. Blue green algae contains the entire rainbow of pigments! What a perfect food! And don’t forget beans and their beautiful mosaic of colors- there are powerful pigments compounds in their skins.
Green: Lutein, Promotes long-term eye health by preventing the formation of cataracts and slowing the progression of macular degeneration. reduce the risk of heart disease, and protect against breast cancer. Look for it in spinach, kale, Romaine lettuce, peas, collard greens.
Green: Indoles (cruciferous vegetables) Reduces the risk of cancer (particularly breast and prostate cancers); reduces the risk of tumor growth in cancer patients. Broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, bok choy, arugala, Swiss chard, turnips, rutabaga, watercress, cauliflower, kale
Purple/ Blue: Anthocyanins & Phenolics: The color in these foods helps improve circulation and memory and helps fight cancer. Some examples include blueberries, prunes, grapes, blackberries, red cabbage, plums, some cherries, cranberries, eggplant.
Red: Lycopene Reduces the risk of prostate, breast, and skin cancer; reduces the risk of heart attacks. Tomato-based products watermelon, pink grapefruit, fresh tomato, guava.
Orange: Beta Carotene In the body, it converts into vitamin A, which has many vital functions including the growth and repair of body tissues, resistance of the body to infection, and the development of healthy eye tissues. Found in bright orange-colored fruits and vegetables such as carrots, pumpkins, peaches, and sweet potatoes and Blue green algae.
Yellow/Orange: Bioflavonoids Powerful antioxidants; works with Vitamin C to reduce the risk of heart attacks, reduce the risk of cancer, and to help maintain strong bones/teeth, healthy skin, and good vision Find them in oranges, grapefruit, lemons, tangerines, clementines, peaches, papaya, apricots.
White: Allicin: Boosts immunity; helps lower high cholesterol; helps control high blood pressure; reduces the risk of heart attacks, reduces the risk for spread of cancer (particularly stomach and colon cancer) Garlic, onions, leeks, scallions, chives
Have a colorful day! Joann Tomasulo
Bibliography
Primary Colors from Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op Newsletter
What Color is Your Diet, by David Heber
Edible Microalgae: A Review of the Health Research by Jeffrey Bruno
For Optimum Health, Follow the Rainbow by Valerie Green
