Know Your Seven Colours to add to your health diet, its creator, Dr David Heber is an internist,endocrinologist,and a physician nutrition specialist claims the five servings a day of fruit and veg recommended by UK health experts may not go far enough to ensure we get all the essential food compounds we need for optimum health.
The reason is simple: we are creatures of habit. And as the latest UK Dietary and Nutritional Survey reveals, most of us tend to eat from a very limited list of foods. Nutritionist Sara Stanner, of the British Nutrition Foundation, agrees: ‘Promoting variety is really important – it means you’re much more likely to be getting all the essential nutrients.
If you do not eat by colour in this way, Dr Heber says you could be missing out on vital phytonutrients and filling up on more fattening starchy or fatty foods – an imbalance that could leave you vulnerable to obesity and related problems including heart disease, cancer and diabetes
On the veg side that means we rarely look beyond peas and carrots, salad means a tomato, and when we do eat fruit, we’re three times more likely to plump for an apple, pear, orange or banana than we are for any other fruit.
Blue/Purples
Anthocyanin-Prunes, red apples blueberries, blackberries, purple grapes, plums, raisins, eggplant. Benefits: Keep memory sharp and reduce risk of many types of cancer, including prostate cancer
Green Vegetables
Sulforaphane– Kiwi, honeydew, spinach, broccoli, romaine lettuce, brussels sprouts, cabbage. Benefits: Protect bones, teeth, and eyesight
Whites
Flavonoid-Pears, bananas, mushrooms, cauliflower, onions, garlic. Benefits: Lower LDL cholesterol and reduce risk of heart disease
Yellows
Lutein-Oranges, grapefruit, peaches, cantaloupe, mangoes, pineapple, squash, carrots. Benefits: Boost immune system and help prevent eye disease
Reds
Lycopene-rich, Watermelon, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, cherries, tomatoes, radishes, red apples. Benefits: Help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and improve blood flow to the heart
Red/purple
Anthocyanin-rich Grapes, berries, prunes, red apples anthocyanins may offer anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-cancer benefits
Orange/yellow
Alpha-Carotenoid- and vitamin C-rich Oranges, tangerines, peaches, nectarines, papaya these antioxidants protect the body at a cellular level from damage.
