You know that fruits and vegetables are good for you and you need more in your diet, but it can be hard to decide which ones you should pick up at the grocery store. By breaking the produce down into simple color categories, you can keep your diet and health moving in the right direction and reduce the confusion when you are shopping.
Green Foods
Heavy hitters in the green food world include spinach, kiwi, broccoli, collard greens, bok choy and avocados. They contain phytochemicals that give them their beautiful green color. Green foods also have lutein, a powerful antioxidant, which can help to protect you from macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. Lutein may also reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, notes HealthCastle.com.
Blue and Purple Foods
Flavonoids are the reason that these fruits and vegetables are various shades of purple and blue. By consuming foods like blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, prunes, and purple cabbage you may reduce your risk of certain types of cancers and have a healthier circulatory system. Anthocyanin is one flavonoid that may reduce inflammation, increase visual acuity and carries antiviral qualities, notes the Linus Pauling Institute.
Red Foods
To potentially reduce your risk for cancers, including prostate, breast, lung and stomach, lycopene is the antioxidant you should turn to. Lycopene from red foods may also lower your blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Red foods high in lycopene include tomatoes, watermelon, red bell peppers, pink grapefruit and beets.
Yellow and Orange Foods
Your body needs orange and yellow foods. They provide beta-carotene, which may help prevent cancer of the lungs, esophagus and stomach. Beta-carotene becomes the vitamin A your body uses to maintain the linings of your organs. A good protective lining means fewer viruses or bacteria that can make us ill. Make sure you have foods like carrots, mangoes, pumpkin, oranges and yellow or orange peppers in your diet.
White Foods
If you are feeling the stress of trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, try eating cauliflower, bananas, mushrooms or onions. These pale and white foods contain a organosulfur called allicin which contributes to their ability to help lower your rising blood pressure. They can also protect against stomach cancer and some of these foods contain potassium which can aid in proper heart and kidney function.
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