Eat Your Colors, Dear

So you've probably heard diet connoisseurs or celebrities raving about how the new hip thing is to eat a wide variety of colors. Or maybe you've known about this color thing all along, in which case forgive my assumption of your naiveté. But aside from having a pretty plate what does this color theory really mean when it comes to your health? Well, all the rumors are true, it is definitely good for you to eat vibrant vegetables and fruits, and come to think of it this can actually be a great nutritiometer when you're about to eat a meal because if most of your food is bland-brown-beige colored like most junky food then you're definitely missing out on the good stuff. Consequently if your plate reminds you of sunshine and rainbows, then you're on the right path.
(Snack foods like cheez-it and many sports drinks are totally on to this and are trying to deceive you by making ridiculously vivid foods by using artificial colors - many of which are actually ILLEGAL in other countries - so don't fall for it, just say NO to the brightly-colored dark side!)

Fruits and vegetables get their color, flavor, and smell from biologically active substances called phytonutrients. These phytonutrients are also responsible for the plants' natural disease resistance (as well as protection from pests and ultraviolet radiation) which, when consumed, transfers to your own body's ability to fight and neutralize invaders. Like a tiny fashion army to accessorize your immune system, these phytonutrients fabulously combat free radicals, and protect you from the various threats which would truly terrify you if the task was not magically handled involuntarily. (ok too much project runway for me, I know it).

Here's a color benefits breakdown:

• Orange/Yellow - Oranges, tangerines, lemons, papaya, pineapple, nectarines, yellow peppers, and yellow grapefruit are rich in vitamin c and citrus bioflavonoids which protect against free-radical damage. Citrus bioflavanoids increase intracellular levels of vitamin c, strengthen blood vessels, and maintain the collagen that forms tendons, cartilage, and ligaments. They also prevent allergies and inflammation and are an overall constant necessity for your immune system to do what it does.
• Orange - Carrots, mangoes, cantaloupes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, yams, squash, and apricots have high amounts of carotenoids, which helps prevent cancer and heart disease. The brighter the color, the higher the concentration of provitamin A carotenoids which your body transforms into vitamin A and benefits your vision and keeps your skin healthy too.
• Red - Tomatoes, watermelon, guava, and red grapefruit contain a powerful carotenoid called lycopene, which is good for your heart (and is linked with prevention of prostate cancer for the gentlemen readers). Red peppers, pomegranates, beets, radishes, and raspberries are also full of antioxidants and other phytochemicals that are good for everything, well, red in your body, including blood circulation and organ function. Cherries and strawberries are a kind of brain food, they improve brain function and memory.
• Red/Purple - Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, eggplants, prunes, figs, purple onions, red cabbage, and ta-da! WINE! The purples contain a powerful flavonoid which is many times more potent than vitamins c and e. These help to maintain the elasticity in skin and blood vessels and prevent wrinkles (that's right ladies, never too young to do your future self a favor). The resveratrol found in red grape skins and seeds, red grape juice, and wine helps to prevent the progression of cancer, prevent blood clots, raises HDL - the good - cholesterol, and promotes longevity. Like the reds, these are also good for the heart, blood, and brain.
• Green - Do these need to be named? Broccoli, spinach, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, brussel sprouts, watercress, lettuce, peas, leeks, celery, asparagus, etc. All of these have many of the powers of the other colors and they especially reduce the risk of macular degeneration when you're old, as well as being powerful cancer fighters and being extra rich in minerals like calcium.
• White/Green - Onions and garlic contain powerful anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anticancer properties (garlic inhibits the formation of nitrosamines, which are cancer-causing compounds formed during digestion). Garlic also combats bacteria, viruses, fungi, and even parasites so I definitely recommend eating it raw (on a piece of toast with a bit of butter and salt, yum!). Green tea and white tea also fall into this category which have so many benefits it is worthy of a headline all its' own but the polyphenols in green tea have polyphenomenal anti-cancer powers and it is an antioxidant several hundreds of times more potent than vitamins c and e, it not only prevents tissue damage but actually repairs damaged DNA! AND it activates detoxification enzymes in the liver too. 

I'm not going to bore you by listing ALL of the benefits of each color because 1. there's a lot! and 2. modern science with all its fancy gadgets and lab coats is still trying to figure it all out by testing one compound at a time. But the point is that to get the optimum benefits from the foods you consume let diversity guide you. If you notice that you haven't eaten anything red in a while, then for god's sake get yourself a tomato! your poor little heart is probably aching from neglect and might be causing you to feel cold because your circulation is lackluster.  And of course, all vegetables and fruits are also full of fiber and enzymes which help the process of digestion and are just another reason to eat your colors, dear :)