Colour is wonderful and fruit and vegetables are no exception. Looking for foods that are bright in colour is a good tip for choosing foods that are nutritionally dense, starting with the brightest - red.
It’s the red colour in fruit and veggies which is so packed with goodness – lycopene, ellagic acid, quercetin, hesperidin. In simple terms, these nutrients help reduce the risk of prostate cancer, lower blood pressure, reduce tumour growth, lower ‘bad’ cholesterol, scavenge harmful free radicals and support joint tissue. They’re also high vitamins A and C.
Here’s a quick guide to our favourite red fruit and vegetables so you know that next time you have some, just how much good it’s doing too.
Cherries are one of the few foods which contain a significant amount of melatonin, an antioxidant that helps regulate the body’s natural sleep patterns, prevent memory loss and more. Cherries that are not as sweet have also been found to contain a nutrient that helps decrease inflammation, as well as lower cancer and diabetes risk.
Cranberries are packed with vitamin C. The berry is well known to help ward away urinary infections and now comes even more good reasons to drink up – cranberry juice can increase levels of (good) HDL cholesterol and provide antioxidant benefits. In addition to cranberry juice, dried cranberries are also great.
Raspberries are a nutrition powerhouse. Regular consumption of raspberries is beneficial in inflammation, pain, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, allergies and age-related macular degeneration. Their antioxidant property is one of the highest among fruits. They are also excellent sources of vitamin C and manganese and have a significant amount of fibre.
Red capsicum is a crunchy vegetable packed with vitamin A. It is also an excellent source of vitamin B6, an essential nutrient for normal brain development and function, and helps the body make the hormones that influence mood as well as melatonin.
Strawberries are another excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. Manganese is important in a variety of metabolic functions in the body including protection from free radicals, keeping bones strong, promoting optimal thyroid function, regulating blood sugar. Strawberries are also high in fibre, iodine, potassium, folate, vitamin K and magnesium.
Tomatoes are a powerhouse of good things most notably, lycopene which has antioxidant properties and may in fact, be powerful anti-carcinogenic, as well as a good source of nutrition for eye and prostate health. Unusually, heating tomatoes, (tomato sauce and canned tomatoes) actually increases the levels of lycopene. Technically, the tomato is a fruit but most people think of it as a vegetable
Watermelon is a good source of lycopene, folic acid and vitamins B1 and B6. A cup of watermelon also contains 176 mg of potassium, which aids in optimal muscle and nerve function, lowers risk of blood pressure and more.
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