The Role of Color in Fruits and Vegetables

One of the most fun aspects of any dish is the color. The flavorful rainbow of reds, greens, yellows, oranges, and purples are brilliant in so many ways. We know they make our dishes look amazing, half of what makes a meal great is presentation. But color is also the basis for health benefits as well. You can actually figure out what health benefits you’re receiving, simply by looking at the color of your food. Different colored fruits and veggies have different nutrient profiles – color is more important than simply making your plate look good. Read on to learn what nutrients different colors have to offer:

Fruit and Veggies – The Meaning of Their Colors

Red

Red fruits and veggies, like tomatoes, raspberries, watermelon, red cabbage, red onions, kidney beans, cherries, guava, beets, strawberries, etc. are very rich in antioxidants, anthocyanins and lycopene. These two antioxidants play a role in protecting the heart and preventing certain types of cancers.

Orange and Yellow

The majority of orange and yellow fruits and veggies are filled with beta-carotene. Your body turns beta-carotene into vitamin A, a very important nutrient. It improves your night vision, keeps your skin, bones, and teeth healthy. This colored skin is also rich in folate, another antioxidant that plays a role in preventing neural tube defects in unborn infants.

Green

Green veggies and fruits are some of the most nutrient dense produce available. They have some of the rarer vitamins available as well, like vitamin K, which plays an important role in blood clotting. Green produce also helps to prevent a whole slew of chronic illnesses thanks to its heavy concentrations of vitamins C and E.

Blue and Purple

Blue and purple fruits are rich in anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that plays a major role in heart health. They also tend to have ellagic acid and flavonoids, two compounds that can actually destroy cancer cells.

White

White produce has some great antioxidant rich flavonoids, like quercetin which can help prevent stroke.