Red, green, yellow or blue, the magic of colours complement the deliciousness of fresh fruits and vegetables. Be it a bundle of lush green spinach or a basket full of bell peppers, colours don’t just add glamour to your food but also help you maintain a balanced diet.
To learn how, here is a list of vegetables by colour as well as the types of nutrients whose presence they indicate.
Red: From fiery red hot chilies to vermilion tomatoes, red is the colour of anti-inflammatory compounds like capescinas well as phytonutrients. Radish, red capsicum, and red potatoes are good examples.
Green: Remember Popeye and his tin of spinach? The power of green is great indeed. Spinach, broccoli, cabbage and lettuces have green powers that provide iron, proteins and other minerals and vitamins. They help combat diabetes, lower blood pressure, and mitigate the risk of asthma.
Yellow/orange: Vegetables like carrots, pumpkins, and sweet or baby corn etc acquire their colour from carotenoids, and are high in Vitamin A and a range of antioxidants. These vegetables help keep your skin, teeth and bones healthy.
Blue: Beetroot, eggplant or purple-red cabbage,come from the blue food family. These yummy taste bud ticklers are rich in flavonoids, ellagicacids and anthocyanins. They have powerful antioxidant properties that reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and help fight cancer cells in the lungs,breast and pancreas.
White: These white fairies of the food world are blessed with nutrients such as dietary fibers and antioxidant-rich flavonoids such as quercetin that help fight cholesterol and lower the risk of strokes.Cauliflower, white onions, white potatoes and cucumbers are good examples.
Fruits and vegetables are blessed with a powerful combination of taste, colour, and texture that work together to boost your health quotient.
Looking for some culinary inspiration? Check out this awesome and wonderfully easy dish of stir-fried vegetables
Take your health seriously and make sure your diet is always G Rated, i.e. ‘good’ and ‘green.’Now go forth and incorporate these vegetables in your diet and add some healthy colour to your life!