The Color Food Guide for Fruits and Vegetables
Eating fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to maintain good health. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. They contain vitamins, phytochemicals, and minerals that can protect your body from diseases like diabetes, cancers, and heart diseases. Ideally, you should consume five kinds of vegetables and two kinds of fruits each day.
Some people claim that some of the benefits of certain foods may be indicated by their color. I have not researched this for proof, so I just include this information as a theory and no more than that.
(a) Red colored Fruits and Vegetables
Red colored fruits and vegetables are claimed to be good for your heart.
Some of these fruits and vegetables contain lycopene and anthocyanins which some people claim may have anti-aging and cancer protecting properties.
Red-colored fruits and vegetables are also promoted by some people as having properties that may improve your memory and help to some extent with the incidence and effects of urinary tract infections.
Red-colored fruits include cranberries, cherries, red grapes, raspberries, red pears, watermelon, pomegranates, strawberries, pink or red grapefruit, and beets.
Red-colored vegetables include red peppers, tomatoes, red radishes, radicchio, red leaf salad, fresh rhubarb, red-skinned potatoes and red onions.
(b) Green colored Fruits and Vegetables
Green colored vegetables and fruits may aid in easy digestion and allow for better absorption of vitamins and nutrients.
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These fruits and vegetables are rich in lutein and indoles, which some people say make them great antioxidants. They contain vitamins that may help to build your bones and maintain the quality of your eyesight.
Green colored fruits include green grapes, green apples, honeydew melons, kiwifruit, green limes, green pears, and artichokes.
Green colored vegetables include broccoli, Chinese cabbage, green beans, celery, brussel sprouts, green cabbage and asparagus.
(c) Yellow colored Fruits and Vegetables
Yellow or orange-colored fruits and vegetables are claimed by some to be rich in vitamin C which may improve your body’s immune system, lower the risk of some cancers, safeguard your vision and help with some of the effects of natural aging problems. Some of these fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, bioflavonoids, phytochemicals and carotenoids.
Yellow colored fruits include yellow apples, cantaloupe, yellow figs, tangerines, grapefruit, cape gooseberries, lemons, oranges, mangos, nectarines, papayas, yellow watermelon, pineapples, pears, apricots, golden kiwifruit and peaches.
Yellow colored vegetables include carrots, yellow peppers, yellow beets, pumpkin, yellow-skinned potatoes, butternut squash and persimmons.
(d) Purple or Blue-colored Fruits and Vegetables
Purple-colored vegetables are claimed by some to be very rich in antioxidants and contain large amounts of phytochemicals like
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phenolics and anthocyanins. These vitamins claimed by some to be help reduce cancer risks, improve your memory and keep your skin looking young and healthy for longer.
Purple-colored fruits include elderberries, purple figs, purple grapes, dried plums, raisins, and Quetch plums.
Purple-colored vegetables include purple asparagus, purple cabbage, eggplant, and purple carrots.
(e) White colored Fruits and Vegetables
White colored fruits and vegetables claimed by some to reduce cholesterol levels and prove beneficial for your heart.
White colored fruits include white peaches, bananas and white nectarines.
White colored vegetables include ginger, garlic, mushrooms, cauliflower, Jerusalem artichokes, and onions.
To find out more fabulous information about how to incorporate a healthy lifestyle with more fruits and vegetables order your copy of Fabulous Fruit and Vegetables today.
Georgina Cundall
Georgina Cundall started to learn about the benefits of adding more fruit and vegetables to her diet when she had some minor health problems.
You can buy the ebook from http://www.fabfruitveg.ebooks-excel.com/
She was also starting to worry about how she could give her young children a healthier range of foods on a very limited budget.
An additional problem was finding things which the children would actually choose when she wasn?t around to supervise.
She discussed this with friends and found her concerns were widely shared, so she decided to put what she found into this book so that other people, especially women with a job and a young family, could benefit from her tips.
Georgina tried many things over the last couple of years and believes that almost everyone will find value in her suggestions in this book, whatever their situation.
Antioxidant Food Supplements
Antioxidant supplements play a protective role for our general health including the health of our hair. Antioxidants supplements are supposed to slow down the oxidation reactions which are brought about by the free radicals. The Free radicals are highly reactive unstable atoms generated in our body that can damage cells leading to a number of diseases and ageing.According to the Free-radical theory of aging, these highly reactive oxygen species (ROS), damage the DNA, proteins and other cellular structures like the cell membranes and cell organelles.
The reaction of free radicals within cells, and subsequent damage has been linked to a range of disorders and chronic diseases including cancer, arthritis, atherosclerosis, alzheimer’s and diabetes and inflammatory conditions
Antioxidants are able to slow down or block these dangerous reactions in the body. They do it either by reacting with intermediates and halting the oxidation reaction directly. They react with the free radicals and prevent the oxidation reaction from occurring.
Antioxidants supplements can be taken as dietary supplements or taken as tablets and capsules. Studies suggest those dietary antioxidants supplements provide a range of are benefits for our health. However, excess antioxidant supplementation may be counter-productive.
Diet carrying antioxidant supplements
A healthy and balanced diet containing antioxidant supplements plays a pivotal role in retaining your hair’s health. Some of the herbal nutrition supplements and some fruits which contain antioxidants serve as natural medications for hair loss.Antioxidant food supplements are found in various forms – vegetables, fruits, grain cereals, legumes, nuts, etc. The sources of antioxidants include fruits (berries and peppers, apple skins, cider, wine), vegetables (spinach, tea leaves), fungi (mushrooms), whole grain cereals (hops, barley, millet and maize), nuts (pecans, pistachios, almonds), beans (cacao including chocolate, coffee).
Polyphenol antioxidants
This type of antioxidant is characterized by the presence of several phenol functions. It is found in a wide array of phytonutrient-bearing foods. Examples include – most of the legumes; fruits like apples, blackberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, grapes, pears, plums, raspberries, and strawberries; vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, celery, onion and parsley. All the above are rich sources of polyphenol antioxidants.Alternative sources of polyphenol antioxidant include red wine, chocolate, green tea, olive oil, bee pollen and several grains.
Antioxidant vitamins
Some of the vitamins that are good sources of antioxidants,. the antioxidant vitamins are–vitamins A, C and E.
Vitamin A
The animal form of vitamin A is retinol. It is a yellow, fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin found in animal foods such as eggs, liver, whole milk and fortified foods like fat-reduced milk, cereals and breads. Vitamin A, are the dark-colored pigments found in plant foods like fruits and vegetables (especially dark green leafy ones) and include spinach, cantaloupe, carrots, sweet potatoes and squash.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant helpful in maintaining healthy hair. Sources of this vitamin are foods such as citrus fruits, kiwi, pineapple, tomatoes, green peppers, potatoes with their skins and dark green vegetables. The daily recommended dose for vitamin C is 60 mg.
Vitamin E
It increases scalp circulation which is crucial for hair growth. You get vitamin E from foods like wheat germ oil, soybeans, raw seeds ad nuts, dried beans and leafy green vegetables. The daily recommended dose for vitamin E is up to 400 IU.
Russell Blank is freelance writer who is an advocate of natural care remedies for good health. He is a prolific writer antioxidant supplements writing informative articles in various magazines. For more information visit us : www.hairlossinformation.com
The Importance of Understanding Antioxidant Levels in Food
Most people are already aware of antioxidants and what they have to offer us, but if you are not, here is some important information you are going to want to be aware of. Whether it is an antioxidant supplement that you are taking or you are just eating regular food, there are certain foods in which there are high levels of antioxidants.
What are Antioxidants?
Antioxidants are substances or nutrients that are found in certain foods, some more than others, and which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body uses oxygen, there is a process that takes place, known as the oxidation process. This process, after a while, can end up doing damage to the body, but antioxidants help to slow this process off and make us healthier as a result.
Antioxidants work to kill off the free radicals and hence prevent and repair damage done by them. There are many different health conditions that antioxidants can help to prevent, including heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, cancer, and liver disease.
Antioxidant Levels in Food
If you really want to maximize your health and get yourself as healthy as possible, you are going to want to learn about antioxidant levels in foods and which foods contain the most antioxidants. Antioxidant levels in food are very important, as there are certain foods that are chalk full of these things.
Carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, cabbage, collards, spinach, apricots, and all bright colored fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants. Flax seed, oatmeal, barley, rye, grapefruit, watermelon, and tea are all high in antioxidants as well.
Of all the antioxidant levels in food, the highest are found in the cocoa bean. Antioxidant levels in food refer more to nothing more than chocolate, well dark chocolate. No other type of chocolate contains antioxidants as dark chocolate does. Until now it was thought that tea, in particular green tea, contained the most antioxidants, but now we know that it is dark chocolate.
Research also shows that the cocoa butter in the chocolate helps by coating the teeth and thereby helping to protect them by preventing plaque from forming. The sugar in the chocolate can contribute to cavities if you eat too much of course, and you can also gain weight if you do not eat dark chocolate in moderation. As long as you eat all of these foods in moderation and make sure that you include some from all the different food groups, you will be giving yourself the nutrition you need to strive.
You can talk to your doctor to get a more detailed list of the high antioxidant food that is included other than those discussed here. The most important thing is that you are getting interested in something that is going to be helping your health and making sure that you are in the most optimum condition.
Just make sure, as with the chocolate and fish, that any food you start incorporating in your diet you do with moderation. Just because a food may be a high antioxidant food, this doesn’t mean that you can’t overdo it, so introduce these foods gradually and make sure that you are only eating a serving size of each a day, or less, so that you do not end up doing yourself more harm than good.
The Best Antioxidant Food: Why You Should be Eating It
What Dietary Supplements to Take
There are two ways you can go about using an antioxidant dietary supplement. One way is to take one antioxidant dietary supplement that specifies that you will receive a daily dose of antioxidants. Another way is to take a variety of supplements that will provide you with the right amount of antioxidant mineral to maintain good health.
When you take supplements that contain Vitamin A, C, and E you are helping your body to filter out the poisonous free radicals. However supplements are just that, supplements and should not be relied on totally for antioxidants for your health.
There is no substitute for eating plenty of foods that are rich in antioxidants. You can look for antioxidants in foods such as blueberries, grapes, apples, and strawberries. Vegetables such as corn, carrots, tomatoes, and peppers all have important antioxidant properties.
A combination of foods that are rich in antioxidants with an antioxidant dietary supplement is a good way to make sure you are getting enough antioxidants in your diet. Keep taking these antioxidant dietary supplement and antioxidant mineral and enriching your diet with antioxidant rich foods and note the difference in your skin and your overall being.
Learning about what the best antioxidant food is and what these best sources of antioxidants have to offer you is very important if you want to achieve optimum health. There are quite a few different types of food that are considered as being the best antioxidant food, and which will be discussed here in more detail.
Foods High in Antioxidants
One of the best antioxidant food choices is berries. All sorts of berries in fact, everything from strawberries and blackberries to blueberries and raspberries, are full of antioxidants. These antioxidants are able to help prevent and repair the stress that comes from oxidation, a natural process that occurs during normal cell function.
Another best antioxidant food is green tea. You may think of green tea as only being a drink but this is actually not true. You can get green tea extract for instance, which can be included in a variety of foods and you may even want to take green tea supplements which offers you the benefits of green tea extract but in pill form so it is as easy and convenient for you to take as possible.
There are many other options as well when it comes to finding the best antioxidant food, and that includes broccoli, tomatoes, red grapes, garlic, spinach, tea, carrots, and soy products. All of these are chalk full of antioxidants and will offer you the benefits that you are looking for here.
These foods, known as the super foods of choice, are foods that you should definitely be including in your diet on a regular basis if you want to achieve optimum health. A healthy, balanced diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, with as much variety as possible, will offer you the most complete nutrition and leave you in the best overall health possible.
The best idea if you are just getting started here will be for you to make a list of the best antioxidant food, namely that discussed here, so that you can incorporate it into your meal planning and really get the best nutrition possible.
This will not only ensure that you are eating enough of the right foods but also help your grocery planning and make the process quicker and easier for you. Meal planning is an important process for anyone interested in improving their health, because it ensures that you know what you are eating and are getting enough of the right foods.
Berries As Nature’s #1 Antioxidant Food
Dark berries like blueberries and cranberries are increasingly recognized in the public as health icons. Not only nutritious by their contents of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, protein and dietary fiber, berries are also synonymous with antioxidant health benefits.
Antioxidants are an important nutrient category thought to be the major health characteristic of colorful fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants are substances synthesized in our bodies or obtained via edible plant chemicals that can prevent or slow oxidative stress to our body’s cells. More than 60 diseases, including cancer, diabetes, inflammatory, neurological and cardiovascular diseases, are linked to oxidative stress that may be relieved by dietary antioxidants.
Scientists believe that plants make antioxidant chemicals to protect the plant’s regenerative capacity from the damaging effects of constant exposure to sunlight, ultraviolet radiation, infections, pests, injury and oxygen radicals produced during photosynthesis. These antioxidants are found in their highest concentrations in the fruit skin (or rind) and seeds.
Antioxidant phytochemicals, such as the blueberry anthocyanins, contribute scent and blue pigment to the berry skin. This plays a useful regenerative role to attract insect pollinators and birds that eat the fruit and then disperse the seeds in their droppings.
Plants also benefit from antioxidant protection in their skin against ultraviolet radiation, photo-oxidative processes, and viral or bacterial pathogens. These are benefits that can be passed on to animals and humans who consume the berries.
Oxidative Stress and “Pigment Power”
Without protective antioxidants from pigments like anthocyanins in berry skin, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are created during normal photosynthesis leading to oxidative injury. These injuries affect proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, and can cause alteration in gene transcription and even lead to programmed cell death (a process scientists call “apoptosis”, eh-poh-toe-sis) in the fruit or its seeds. Some botanists and food chemists refer to this protective benefit as “pigment power”, which is desirable to obtain through the human diet. We acquire this transfer of protection by eating fruits, vegetables and animal sources that have color-rich pigments. Dark berries are an excellent source of these pigments.
Within colorful berries we can find many members of the pigment group called “phenolics.” Each member provides antioxidants, color, scent, and flavor qualities. The following is just a sampling of the thousands of edible plant phenolics. Any one berry species may contain dozens of antioxidant pigments. Each of the berries below is a rich source of anthocyanin pigments; a few of which are listed where medical and food science have revealed preliminary evidence for health benefits.
Here is a list of the antioxidants found in the following berries:
o Blackberries: gallic acid
o Black raspberries: ferulic acid
o Blueberries: anthocyanins, chlorogenic acid, peonidins
o Cranberries: proanthocyanidins, catechins, quercetin
o Elderberries: myricetin
o Red raspberries : ellagitannins, procyanidins
o Red grapes: resveratrol, proanthocyanidins (seeds), catechins
o Strawberries: ellagic acid
ROS – Radical Oxygen Species
When human cells use oxygen, they naturally produce ROS as by-products of normal metabolism. This can lead to cell damage if normal counter-balances are absent in the environment inside and around cells. ROS are also called “oxygen free radicals” or elements so reactive they are “free” to interact with numerous cells and chemicals in the body, often in a way that is damaging.
Antioxidants synthesized internally or introduced from our diets act as neutralizing sponges or “scavengers” of ROS. By donating electrons sought by the free radical, antioxidant molecules serve to counterbalance, absorb, quench, prevent or repair damage done by ROS.
However, when balancing mechanisms are ineffective, perhaps because of a diet poor in antioxidant foods or during the decline of body functions with disease or aging, ROS disperse randomly in a concentration gradient from their point of formation. There, if unchecked by antioxidants, they can cause damage within cells and to nearby cells, that can contribute to disease and aging. This is one of the leading theories for how Alzheimer’s disease progressively destroys neurons.
Oxidative Stress and Dietary “Therapy”
Most diseases are initiated and perpetuated to some degree by ROS and by insufficient amounts of internal and dietary antioxidants. These are the underlying conditions for “oxidative stress” which may explain a sizable component of aging.
If chronic, oxidative stress can lead to an increased risk of developing the following diseases:
• Cancer
• Cardiovascular and inflammatory disorders
• Diabetes
• Neuronal degeneration (e.g., Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease)
• Macular degeneration causing vision loss and general deterioration of aging
• Chronic sickness
Measuring Antioxidant Strength: ORAC
The term ORAC, standing for “oxygen radical absorbance capacity”, is a numerical way of representing antioxidant strength in berries and other foods. When antioxidants are present in a food, their collective strength can be measured in the test tube assay called ORAC.
Recently, scientists working with the US Department of Agriculture published a database of ORAC values.
Dark berries, especially wild and cultivated blueberries, blackberries and cranberries, stood out with the highest ORAC values among some 25 fruits tested. Their values were in a range of about 7,000-13,000 ORAC units per Cup or 250 ml serving.
Preliminary North American guidelines recommend at least 5,000 ORAC units per day for the adult diet. Doubling that number would not only be safe for antioxidant reserves, but would also provide antioxidant qualities that would supply numerous essential macro- and micronutrients. Most importantly though, it would make for enjoyable eating!
The ORAC test will likely gain public acceptance as a standard measure allowing comparisons of freshness and antioxidant strength in different foods. This standard will facilitate selection of high ORAC foods and relate antioxidant capacity to potential protection of health. For example, there is already scientific evidence for an inverse correlation between dietary intake of antioxidant foods and incidence of some cancers (US National Cancer Institute).
Antioxidant Berries
Wild Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium).
Wild lowbush blueberries have nearly 50% greater antioxidant strength than their cultivated cousins – the highbush blueberry – that is so popular in grocery stores. Wild blueberries score highest in ORAC among common (but not all) berries, having about 13,000 ORAC units per Cup or 250 ml. Over the past 10 years, the focus of food scientists on health properties of wild blueberries has revealed a compelling story of nutrient richness and diversity of potential health benefits, including:
• Urinary tract health (identical in strength to cranberries)
• Inhibition of cancer development
• Cardiovascular protection
• Mental alertness
• Vision support
Blackberry (Rubus ursinus)
The juicy delicious dark blackberry has great taste and nutrient richness. Confirming the idea that the darkest berries correlate with the strongest antioxidant activity, science has recently demonstrated that blackberries have some of the densest concentrations and widest diversity of phenolics found in the plant world. Blackberry’s ORAC is nearly 8000 units per Cup or 250 ml.
Black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)
“Blackcaps” are a little-known powerhouse of antioxidant richness and outstanding taste. Isolates from black raspberries were shown in laboratory tests to specifically starve tumor cells by preventing growth of new tumor blood vessels. Overall a more powerful antioxidant berry than even the wild blueberry (ORAC > 15,000 per Cup or 250 ml), blackcaps contain a toolkit of flavors and nutrients.
Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)
The North American cranberry has become famous for its popular juice. Known well for its anti-adhesion properties, which inhibit bacterial infections in the urinary tract, cranberry extracts have shown anti-cancer and cardio-protective effects in laboratory studies. These results occur mainly from the cranberry’s abundant supply of antioxidant phenolics that also make it a promising agent for blood, brain and vision health.
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
Another phenolic-rich dark berry with a delectable taste, the elderberry has been associated with many of the potential health benefits already mentioned. It has stood out particularly in laboratory tests for its anti-inflammatory and urinary tract benefits. The elderberry also shows promise for anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects that may offer protection against such virulent pathogens as Salmonella, E. coli, H. pylori and Staphylococcus.
Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus)
The red raspberry is well loved for its subtle distinct flavor but is also a wonderful store of antioxidant phytochemicals, particularly one called ellagic acid. One of its other constituents, a ketone, was shown in recent laboratory studies to stimulate fat metabolism, causing experimental animals to lose significant weight.
Red Grape (Vitus vinifera)
The red grape is valued for its familiar popular taste and diverse number of phenolics residing mainly in its skin and seeds. Especially rich in the phenolic called resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant, red grapes are linked to having a possible beneficial effect on:
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Osteoarthritis
• Other aging disorders
Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
Containing a host of antioxidant phenolics, the strawberry’s constituents may be particularly important as natural blood-thinners, anti-fungal agents and inhibitors of oxidizing effects on cells from chronic stress.
Other Antioxidants
Other phenolic antioxidants mentioned in current public media include:
• Apigenin
• P-coumarin
• Kaempferol
• Caffeic acid
• Hydroxycinnamic acid
• Tannic acid
• Salicylic acid (similar to aspirin)
These pigment chemicals belong to the flavonoid subclass of the phenolic super-family and are present among dark berries.
Color-rich plant foods like berries offer a delicious, nutritious way of keeping dietary intake of antioxidants high. Eat color! Gain ORAC! Live Well!
Reading
* PubMed, US National Library of Medicine, http://pubmed.gov
* Wild Blueberry Association of North America, http://www.wbana.org
* Wu X et al., Lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities of common foods in the United States. J Agric Food Chem 52:4026-37, 2004.
Copyright 2006 Berry Health Inc.
Dr. Paul Gross is a scientist and expert on cardiovascular and brain physiology. A published researcher, Gross recently completed a book on the Chinese wolfberry and has begun another on antioxidant berries. Gross is founder of Berry Health Inc, a developer of nutritional, berry-based supplements. For more information, visit http://www.berrywiSEOnline.com