Eating By Colour

March 14, 2018

While ‘superfoods’ is the buzzword in healthy eating these days, you might be surprised to know that almost all plant foods are super nutritious and not only nourish us, but protect us from disease too.

In addition to vitamins and minerals, plant-based foods also contain thousands of different disease-preventing nutrients. These are known as phyto-nutrients (em>hyto from the Greek word for plant). Phyto-nutrients give vegetables, fruits and legumes their colour and/or flavour and researchers have found they play an important role in protecting our health and preventing some of the leading chronic diseases in Australia, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and hypertension. This is great news as many of these foods are readily available and cheap (when eaten in season)! While fruit and vegetables contain the majority of phytonutrients we know about so far, legumes, nuts, and whole grains also contain important

	Food sources	Health benefits
PURPLE, BLUE, BLACK	Eggplant Beetroot Purple cabbage Red onion Black beans Blueberries Blackberries Passionfruit Plums Olives	Protects against cancer, stroke and heart disease Heart and blood health, may lower blood pressure Improved memory Healthy aging Protects vision Skin health May protect against cancer and heart disease
RED	Red capsicum and chillies Tomatoes Kidney beans Strawberries, raspberries Red apples Watermelon Cherries	Protect against cataracts and macular degeneration Blood vessel health May protect against cancer and heart disease Healthy lungs Reduce prostate cancer
ORANGE	Carrots Pumpkin Sweet potato Orange lentils Oranges Apricots Mangoes Peaches	Strengthens immune system and vision Healthy skin Strong bones May protect against cancer and heart disease
YELLOW	Sweetcorn Yellow capsicum Yellow squash Bananas Lemons Pineapple	Protects vision Skin health May protect against cancer and heart disease
GREEN	Beans Broccoli Cabbage Green herbs Spinach Green capsicum Green apples Avocado Green grapes Kiwifruit	Eye health, prevents macular degeneration Strong bones Strengthens immune system Protects against cancer and heart disease
WHITE	Fennel, garlic, leeks, white onion, White nectarine and peaches, lychees White beans (cannellini, lima beans, navy beans, soybeans)	Helps protect against cancer Healthy heart and blood
BROWN	Potato, swede Bortolotti beans, lentils Brown pear, raisin, fig, dates	Helps protect against cancer Strengthens immune system

Tips to increase the amount of phytonutrients in your diet

Keep cleaned and cut fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator so they are easy to grab as a quick snack
Choose vegetables with low-fat dip for a snack.
Add vegetables and beans or legumes to casseroles, stews and soups.
Have fruit for dessert.
Keep a bowl of apples, bananas and/or oranges on the table for quick grabbing
Choose a side salad or vegetables in place of fries when eating out.
Add veg like lettuce, onions, capsicum and/or tomatoes to sandwiches.
Order veggie toppings on your pizza instead of extra meat or cheese
Enjoy fruit smoothies for breakfast or snacks.