Colorful vegetables typically indicate a high degree of nutritional value. Sweet potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, squash and other deeply colored vegetables contain vital nutrients such as vitamin A, lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene and anthocyanins. Together these nutrients protect you from a host of health issues, including cancer, age-related macular degeneration and heart disease. Speak to your health care provider about the preventive health effects of eating multiple colors of fresh vegetables.
Carotenoids
Carotenoids are a form of vitamin A derived from yellow and orange colorful fresh vegetables, including carrots, butternut squash, pumpkins, yellow peppers, rutabagas, sweet corn and yellow tomatoes. The body converts these so-called provitamin A carotenoids into retinol, the most usable form of vitamin A; the beta carotene from carrots, for example, is most readily absorbed. The body needs retinol to maintain healthy skin, healthy mucous membranes and functional vision. Vitamin A also oversees the immune system and keeps infections at bay.
Lutein and Zeaxanthin
Dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, peas, watercress, Brussels sprouts, turnip greens and broccoli work in concert to protect vision; these nutrients demonstrate the ability to prevent age-related macular degeneration, according to food and nutrition specialist Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., L.R.D., of North Dakota State University. These antioxidants concentrate in the macula -- the center of the retina -- and protect it from free radical damage as well as harmful ultraviolet A and B rays from the sun. Research also indicates that dark green leafy vegetables prevent cataracts. A study from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School examined the vegetable intake of nearly 40,000 females and found that those with the highest fresh vegetable intake showed a 10 to 15 percent reduction in the risk of developing cataracts. This research appeared in the June 2005 issue of “The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.”
Lycopene
Lycopene is a pigment from plants that renders vegetables dark red. Abundant sources of lycopene include tomatoes, beets, red cabbage, red potatoes and radishes. Lycopene demonstrates protective qualities against certain cancers, particularly prostate cancer, according to Garden-Robinson.
Anthocyanins
Vegetables high in anthocyanins take on a bluish or purplish hue from this plant compound. Fresh vegetable sources of anthocyanins include eggplant, purple cabbage and purple corn. Anthocyanins demonstrate significant antioxidant properties. These types of vegetables also demonstrate a positive preventive effect on coronary heart disease, according to Garden-Robinson.
References
- North Dakota State University; What Color Is Your Food?; Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., L.R.D.; May 2011
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin A and Carotenoids
- University of Florida IFAS Extension; Carotenoids and Eye Health; Linda B. Bobroff, Ph.D., R.D., L.D.N.; March 2011
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Fruit and Vegetable Intake and the Risk of Cataract in Women; W.G. Christen, et al.; June 2005
- ScienceDaily; Diverse Diet of Veggies May Decrease Lung Cancer Risk; September 2010
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