(08-12-10) Eat a variety of colors for amazing health

by Dr. David Jockers, citizen journalist
See all articles by this author
Email this author


(NaturalNews) Natural foods come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors.
Everything on Earth has its own unique function and characteristics. Eating
fruits and vegetables of a variety of different colors can give you the best
all-round health benefits; each contains a distinctive blend of super nutrients
that are fantastic for our well-being.

Red: Fruits and vegetables with the color red contain a super anti-oxidant in
the carotenoid pigment lycopene. Lycopene is found in tomatoes, red & pink
grapefruit, guava, watermelon, papaya, red bell pepper, and gogi berries. A
fruit grown in Southern Asia called "gac" is considered the most lycopene rich
food with over 70 times the amount of lycopene as tomato products per volume.

Lycopene is absorbed most effectively when it is combined with a fat source.
Gac contains saturated and unsaturated fatty acids making it naturally
bioavailable. Tomato sauces or tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil are another
bioavailable source. Lycopene is noted for its powerful ability to scavenge
free radicals and inhibit cancer cell formation and arterial inflammation.

Orange: Orange containing fruits and vegetables are rich in the potent anti-
oxidant beta-carotene. Beta carotene is found in sweet potatoes, yams, mangos,
carrots, & apricots. The Vietnamese superfood "gac" has the most beta-carotene
with over 10x the amount as carrots.

Beta carotene helps prevent night blindness and other eye problems while
working to help improve eye function. It also acts to enhance skin health and
immune system stability. Beta carotene has powerful anti-oxidant properties
which help clean the body of free radicals that damage tissue and cause cancer.

Greens: The color of life is derived by chlorophyll which is one of the most
powerful life-giving substances on the planet. The chlorophyll content of a
food is a major indicator of the health attributes of any given plant based
food. Chlorophyll rich foods have a very deep green and are extraordinarily
useful in building new blood cells and purifying the body from cancer and
radiation.

Additionally, green foods contain the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin that
are being studied for their ability to protect your eyes by keeping your retina
strong. They are also rich in folate, magnesium, copper, B6, & potassium. Many
green vegetables like kale and collard greens contain powerful glucosinolates
and methyl cysteine sulfoxides. These super-nutrients help to activate
detoxifying enzymes in the liver that play an important role in neutralizing
carcinogenic substances.

Blue/Purple: These darker pigments add beautiful shades that enrich your
plate. They are also rich in flavonoids, phytochemicals, and anti-oxidants. The
phytochemical pigment responsible for the dark color is called anthocyanins.
Foods that are rich in anthocyanins include blueberries, plums, red cabbage,
eggplant, blackberries, raspberries, & cranberries.

These super nutrients have an especially powerful ability to minimize cancer-
induced DNA damage, stall the growth of pre-malignant cells, accelerate cancer
cell death, and reduce inflammatory mediators that initiate cancer cell growth.
Berries are one of the richest sources of anthocyanins and many experts believe
that our ancestors ate far more anthocyanins than we do. In comparison, many
researchers believe we are deficient in anthocyanins.

White: The onion family which includes leeks, scallions, onions, & garlic all
contain the sulfur containing compound called allicin. This is a powerful anti-
microbial that destroys bacteria, viruses, & fungi. Allicin is also a powerful
anti-inflammatory that destroys cancer, lowers cholesterol, and reduces
inflammatory damage to the heart and vasculature.

Mushrooms contain beta-glucan, selenium, vitamin B6, zinc, & copper that are
critical for healthy immune function and the formation of the cellular anti-
oxidant glutathione. Cauliflower contains the phytochemicals Indole-3-Carbonyl
and Sulforaphanes which are some of nature's most powerful cancer fighters.

Sources:
http://www.naturalnews.com/029318_k...
http://www.naturalnews.com/030237_g...
http://www.fitnesstipsforlife.com/v...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_c...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycopene
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthoc...
http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/FULL...
http://www.disabled-world.com/artma...

News

---

In evidenza

"L'informazione presente nel sito serve a migliorare, e non a sostituire, il rapporto medico-paziente."

Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.