By: Meaghan Orellana, Nutrition and Dietetics Student
We can sometimes get stuck in our routine, eating similar foods week to week. As long as we’re eating fruits and veggies each day we should be good right? Plant foods contain many nutrients our bodies need including vitamins and minerals, but they also contain phytonutrients. These are nutrients that benefit human health but are not essential for life, found in different plant foods. There are thousands of different phytonutrients, some of these are the cause for the pigmentation in the food. When we eat the same foods week to week we could be missing out on many beneficial nutrients. By eating a rainbow of colors, we can make sure we are getting a wide range of these different phytonutrients to better serve our body!
Yellow and Orange
Carotenoids are responsible for the yellow, orange and some red color of foods. The phytonutrients in these foods promote eye health through antioxidant compounds that can prevent macular degeneration and protection from damage due to long term exposure to blue light from looking at screens. The antioxidant compounds also decrease cancer risk through its protection from damaging oxidative stress on cells. This group has anti-inflammatory compounds that protect the heart and prevent plaque buildup in the arteries. Other nutrients we find in these yellow and orange foods can be beneficial for immune health, cognition, reproductive health and skin health!
Green
The green hue we see is from the phytonutrient chlorophyll. These foods provide cancer preventing nutrients that bind to carcinogenic compounds called aflatoxins and prevent their absorption into the body. Chlorophyll is also able to bind and remove endocrine disrupting chemicals from the body helping prevent disruption in normal hormone function. These greens have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory compounds and promote brain, skin, heart and liver health.
Purple
This purple color is caused by anthocyanins. This group is teamed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. They have been shown to reduce the glucose response after meals helping regulate blood sugar. They also have neuro protective effects in older adults, anti-cancer properties, and promote heart and liver health!
White, Tan and Brown
These foods are given this color from anthoxanins. This group has anti-cancer benefits, cell protection, and promotes gastrointestinal, heart, hormone and liver health!
Some white foods such as garlic and onion contain a compound called allicin. This nutrient has antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties as well.
Check out this checklist to make sure you are getting your fill of each color, every day! When picking produce, the deeper the color the more phytonutrients it contains, so keep an eye out for those darker colored produce!
References:
WebMD. (n.d.). Chlorophyll: Benefits, safety information, dosage, and more. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-chlorophyll
Mattioli, R., Francioso, A., Mosca, L., & Silva, P. (2020). Anthocyanins: A Comprehensive Review of Their Chemical Properties and Health Effects on Cardiovascular and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 25(17), 3809. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25173809
Cleveland Clinic. (2024, June 27). Eat the rainbow: The health benefits of carotenoids. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/carotenoids
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