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A Festival of colors in our table


07/29/2005

The book “What Color Is Your Diet?", by Dr. David Heber, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California at Los Angeles , and dietitian Susan Bowerman, emphasizes the importance of increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, and the need to choose broadly among the richly colored options.
According to the new Food Pyramid, it is important to eat at least 2 ½ cups of colorful vegetables and 2 cups of colorful fruits a day as a plan for a healthier living.

Every color found in fruits and vegetables focuses on building the immune system in its own way, says Jane Oelke, ND, Ph.D., a Traditional Naturopath and Doctor of Homeopathy in southwest Michigan. It is important to get a variety of colors, so that you will get a full range of the beneficial phytochemicals in your daily diet.

When you make a salad, make sure you have at least three colors on your plate and try to also have at least three fruits of different colors to balance the rest of the colors needed.

These are the most known benefits of the different colors in foods:
  • Green Foods, like broccoli, kale, lettuce, spinach, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, are especially beneficial for the circulatory system and are full of anti-cancer compounds.
  • Red Foods, like tomatoes, watermelon and red cabbage, help reduce free radical damage, prevent prostate problems, and reduce the effects of sun damage on the skin.
  • Orange Foods, like carrots, pumpkin, squash, sweet potatoes, apricots, cantaloupe, help prevent cancer by repairing the DNA, they are good for your eyes, and help with night vision. The deep orange foods help to get the vitamin A in the right amounts we need.
  • Green-Yellow Foods, like yellow corn, green peas, collard greens, avocado and honeydew melon, help reduce the risk of developing cataracts and macular degeneration, and the risk of osteoporosis, as well.
  • Orange-Yellow Foods, like oranges, pineapple, tangerines, peaches, papaya and nectarines, provide antioxidants, especially Vitamin C, and help to improve the health of the mucus membranes and connective tissue, preventing heart disease by improving circulation and preventing inflammation.
  • White-Green Foods, like onions, garlic, celery and pears, contain a variety of phytochemicals. Garlic and onions contain allicin, the anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal phytochemical, acting as antibiotic. Add garlic and onions in your meals to reduce the effects of potential toxicity of high fat meats. Celery keeps the fluid in the joints healthy.
  • Red-Blue-Purple Foods, like red apples, beets, blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, prunes, concord grapes, blackberries- help to protect against heart disease by improving circulation and preventing blood clots. They keep the blood circulating reducing the effects of the Standard American Diet rich in trans fats and processed foods.