Did you know the colors of a nation’s flag most often represent the values of that country? Take the American flag for example red stands for hardiness and valor, 白色象征着纯洁和纯真, 蓝色表示警惕, 毅力, 和正义. You see, colors are more than just colors. Similarly, when it comes to nutrition, different colored foods play different roles in the body. Each color offers a unique health benefit, which is why you may have heard that it’s recommended by dietitians to “eat a rainbow” often. The reason for this recommendation is that plant-based foods are packed with phytochemicals, or naturally occurring chemical substances known to have disease-preventing properties. 这些植物化学物质是团队合作者, working in conjunction with 维生素 和矿物质 to improve health and reduce the risk of disease. So, the more colors in your diet, the more disease-fighting phytochemicals you are consuming!
美国方式
许多美国人都喜欢速食, 低成本的食品, 导致高盐, 高脂肪, sugar-filled “beige diet” that is seriously lacking critical nutrients like 纤维, 维生素, 和矿物质. It may not surprise you that 87 percent of Americans do not meet recommendations for fruit consumption (1.每天5-2杯), and 91 percent do not meet recommendations for vegetable consumption (2-3 cups per day). Though certain beige foods are considered healthy and nutrient-dense (nuts, 种子, 家禽, 全谷物, 等.), the American diet includes an unnecessarily large amount of highly processed convenience foods such as crackers, 酒吧, 饼干, 麦片, 糕点, 油炸食品, 冰冻的食物, 快餐, 等. So, 本着独立日的精神, I challenge you to try out some of these red, 白色, and blue fruits and vegetables that can help brighten up your diet, 展示你的美国自豪感.
为了心脏健康，选择红色
It is only appropriate that red foods support heart and circulatory health. They also help reduce the risk of certain cancers. 比如樱桃, 小红莓, 红灯笼椒, 甜菜, and tomatoes are packed with several phytochemicals, with lycopene being the major pigment in red fruits and veggies. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant mainly found in (cooked) tomatoes and has shown to help reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
我不喜欢吃番茄? 没有问题! Additional lycopene-containing foods include guavas, 西瓜, 木瓜, 葡萄柚, 红灯笼椒, 还有红卷心菜. 其他有营养的红色食物包括:
- 草莓
- 树莓
- 石榴
- 红芸豆
- 红苹果
- 红葡萄
- 红梨
- 萝卜
- 菊苣
- 红洋葱
- 红色的土豆
- 大黄
当你看到红色的时候不要停下来，去做吧!
与白色斗争
Though 白色 may not be considered an actual color, you definitely don’t want to exclude 白色 plant foods from your diet. This is because the largest group of phytochemicals, flavonoids, are generally colorless! Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants that help the body fight back. 它们能增强免疫系统, 淋巴系统, and assist in cellular repair from free radical damage. Garlic has strong anti-microbial properties and has been linked to heart health and decreased cancer risk. Similarly, onions are also packed with anti-microbial agents. Onions have also been shown to help decrease blood glucose and improve heart health by reducing cholesterol and blood pressure. But, if you’re an onion hater, we’ve still got you covered. 其他美味的白色食物包括:
- 白色的梨
- 菜花
- 香蕉
- 蘑菇
- 土豆
- 姜
- 白玉米
- 萝卜
- 青葱
- 防风草
- 大头菜
- 苹果
Remember, when it comes to plant foods, 白色 is a bright choice!
越蓝越好
Blue (and purple) plant foods get their distinct color from anthocyanins, important members of the flavonoid group of phytochemicals, with a darker blue pigment meaning a larger phytochemical concentration. You could say that anthocyanins are VIP members of the flavonoid club, having extraordinary free-radical hunting capabilities and antioxidant capacities. Blue and purple foods also have anti-aging properties, 促进骨骼健康, 提高记忆力, 增强夜间和整体视力, and have been shown to reduce the spread of cancer cells and inhibit tumor formation. The key benefit of blue and purple foods is greater circulation and microcirculation of blood throughout the body, which is especially important for those at risk for stroke and heart disease. Blueberries are usually the go-to when we think of antioxidant-rich foods, but let’s not forget about the other players on the blue team. 黑莓, 李子, and eggplant are also packed with health-promoting 纤维, 维生素, 矿物质, 纤维, 和抗氧化剂. Or, try one of these tasty blue/purple foods:
- 紫色的卷心菜
- 紫色的葡萄
- 李子
- 紫色胡萝卜
- 黑醋栗
- 葡萄干
- 干李子
- 接骨木果实
- 紫色无花果
- 紫芦笋
- 黑色的婆罗门参
- Purple-fleshed土豆
- 紫比利时菊苣
把它们放在一起
If all of this seems overwhelming, just remember the number three. Three is the minimum amount of colors you should target on each plate. Since most protein sources and 全谷物 are beige, your rainbow should come from a variety of fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables.
Feeling adventurous but not sure how to utilize a certain fruit or vegetable? 访问 allrecipes.com and type the ingredient in the search box. Or, try these red, 白色, and blue recipes for your Fourth of July celebration:
- 个人菜花皮披萨
- 健康蓝莓酱
