Go for Color!
Fruits and
vegetables come in all colors of the rainbow. And when it comes to choosing your
fruits and vegetables, the latest recommendations emphasize eating a wide
variety of colors every day to get some of the more than 9,000 health-promoting
plant-based substances called phytochemicals and reduce the risks of cancer,
heart disease, and diabetes. Try to see how many colors you can eat in your 5 A
Day.
 RED
Red fruits and vegetables are rich in lycopene and are a good source of
anthocyanins. Lycopene is an antioxidant that helps reduce the risk of several
types of cancer, including prostrate cancer. Anthocyanins also appear help
control blood sugar and protect against diabetes-related circulatory problems.
- Guava
- Pink
grapefruit
- Red
Cabbage
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Tomatoes
|
- Watermelon
- Raspberries
- Red
apples (with skin)
- Red pears
(with skin)
- Red
peppers
- Red
Grapes
|
 BLUE/PURPLE
Blue and purple fruits and vegetables are rich sources of anthocyanins and
phenols. Both of these phytochemicals are powerful antioxidants that can help
reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
- Beets
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Elderberries
- Black
currants
|
- Eggplant
(with skin)
- Plums
- Prunes
(a.k.a. dried plums)
- Purple
grape juice
- Purple
grapes
|
 ORANGE/YELLOW
Orange fruits and vegetables are high in beta-carotene; an antioxidant converted
in the body to vitamin A that helps reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease,
maintains eyesight, and helps boost the immune system. Bioflavonoids, which work
with vitamin C to help reduce the risk of cancer, strengthen bones and teeth,
heal wounds, keep skin healthy and lower the risk of heart attacks are also
present in orange fruits and vegetables.
- Acorn
squash
- Apricots
- Butternut
squash
- Cantaloupe
- Carrots
- Lemons
- Mangos
- Nectarines
- Oranges
|
- Papaya
- Peaches
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Pumpkin
- Sweet
Potatoes
- Tangerines
- Yellow
Pepper
- Yellow
Raisin
|
 GREEN
Green fruits and vegetables are among the best sources of lutein; an antioxidant
that helps reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, which can
cause loss of vision. Green vegetables are also a rich source of indoles, which
help to reduce the risk of breast and prostate cancer. One recent study found
that men who ate vegetables rich in indoles three times or more a week had 42
percent less prostate cancer.
- Arugula
- Bok choy
- Broccoli
- Brussels
sprouts
- Cabbage
- Collard
greens
- Cucumbers
(with skin)
- Green
beans
- Green
leaf lettuce
|
- Green
peas
- Kale
- Kiwi
- Mustard
greens
- Romaine
lettuce
- Spinach
- Swiss
chard
- Turnip
greens
- Zucchini
(with skin)
|
 WHITE
The white foods below are rich sources of allicin, which helps control blood
pressure and cholesterol and seems to increase the body’s ability to fight
infection.
- Chives
- Garlic
- Leeks
- Onions
| 
