One of the amazing things about food is the array of colors! Whenever I go to buy my produce, I get so excited by all the bright reds, greens, yellows, blues, and oranges. It’s like a feast for the eyes and it makes my heart so happy! But did you know that each of these colors actually mean something? When people say to “eat the rainbow” there is a good reason for it!
The pigments that give fruit and veggies their color are called phytonutrients, which are natural chemicals found in plants. Each phytonutrient has a specific color and each has a different health benefit (1).
RED:
Foods with a red or pink hue like grapefruit, tomatoes, and watermelon contain lycopene. Lycopene has antioxidant properties which promote heart health and reduces the risk of cancer (2). It is also a carotenoid, which is basically the pigment that gives these foods it’s color (3).
ORANG/YELLOW:
Foods that are orange and yellow, such as sweet potato, carrots, squash, and apricots are full of the antioxidant called beta carotene. This antioxidant has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, enhance the immune system, to protect the skin, and helps to get rid of acne.
BLUE:
Blue colored fruits and vegetables like blueberries, black currants, grapes, and black berries are a great source of anthocyanins. Anthocyanins is another pigment that gives these foods their vibrant color (4).
GREEN:
Green fruits and vegetables such as kale, spinach, Swiss Chard, kiwi fruit, broccoli, and grapes. All of them contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which are both yellow pigments that are associated with bolstering eye and heart health. They also help to protect our eyes from harmful high energy light waves like ultraviolet rays from the sun. Studies have shown that when these antioxidants are found in high amounts in eye tissue is linked with better vision, especially in dim light or when there is a lot of glare (5).
Sources:
1) McCarthy, Joy. Joyous Health. Penguin Group, 2014.
2) "Definition of Lycopene." MedicineNet, 12 Dec. 2018, www.medicinenet.com/script/ main/art.asp?articlekey=25119. Accessed 2019.
3) Szalay, Jessie. "What Are Carotenoids?" Live Science, 15 Oct. 2015, www.livescience.com/52487-carotenoids.html. Accessed 6 Feb. 2019.
4) Lila, Mary Ann. "Anthocyanins and Human Health: An in Vitro Investigative Approach." NCBI, doi:10.1155/S111072430440401X. Accessed 6 Feb. 2019.
5) Boxer Walcher, Brian S., M.D. "Lutein and Zeaxanthin for Vision." WebMD, 6 Sept. 2018, www.webmd.com/eye-health/lutein-zeaxanthin-vision. Accessed 6 Feb. 2019.
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