Enjoy the Other Colors of Fall
Fall colors apply to more than just the leaves. This time of year, there is a bounty of colorful foods – from green and orange to red and purple – that contain a variety of beneficial phytonutrients.
What colors were on your plate at your last meal? If you're like most Americans, there wasn't enough purple, or blue, or orange, or red, or green…or even white, not counting starches.
According to a new study entitled America's Phytonutrient Report, 80 percent of Americans are endangering their health by failing to eat a diet rich in specific colorful fruits and vegetables. More specifically, 88 percent don't eat enough blue/purple fruit and vegetables, 86 percent fall short with white (onions, apples, garlic), 79 percent are lacking in the orange/yellow range of fruit and vegetables, and 69 percent do not eat enough green produce.
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The health benefits associated with the color of fruit and vegetables are thought to come from the compounds that give these foods their vibrant coloring. These compounds are phytonutrients, powerful antioxidants that can help fight the damage caused to our cells over time that can lead to premature aging and disease.
Phytonutrients offer a wide range of potential health benefits from promoting eye, bone and heart health to supporting immune and brain function. They also may provide protection against certain cancers, repair DNA damage from smoking and other toxins, and improve cell-to-cell communication.
There are a number of different phytonutrients, and the types found in each food vary by the color, including:
• Blue/purple fruit and vegetables – Resveratrol, Anthocyanidins
• White fruit and vegetables – Quercetin, Allicin
• Green fruit and vegetables – Lutein/zeaxanthin and Isoflavones
• Red fruit and vegetables – Ellagic acid
• Yellow/orange fruit and vegetables – Beta-carotene and Alpha-carotene
While the general recommendations are to eat 5-13 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, you may also try to aim for two fruits and/or vegetables from each of the five color categories. Fortunately, the fall season offers an abundance of produce in every color for you to enjoy and from which to reap the many health benefits.
Colorful Autumn Vegetables
Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts
Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Collard
Endive, Eggplant, Garlic, Lettuce
Mushrooms, Onions, Parsnips, Potatoes
Spinach, Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes, Turnips, Winter squash
Colorful Fall Fruits
Apples, Avocado, Blackberries
Cherries, Dates, Figs
Grapes, Kiwi, Melon, Oranges
Papaya, Pear Plums, Pomegranate
Raspberries, Tangerines
For a delicious new recipe from Linda Cherry that includes some red, green, white from above, see her Polenta Casserole.
To ensure that you are getting the full range of beneficial phytonutrients , incorporate a complete daily nutritional system such as Basic Nutrient Support, which includes a Fruit and Vegetable Complex, Citrus Bioflavonoids Complex, Broccoli Flower, Cabbage Leaf, Tomato Fruit and Grape Seed/Skin extracts in addition to the antioxidants resveratrol, beta-carotene, quercitin, lutein and lycopene.
