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Everybody from your Mom to the latest newsstand glossy says you should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, but I’d be willing to bet that nobody has ever told you why variety is so important.
Plants from different environments develop specific protective mechanisms that serve them well. Sometimes the defence is physical (thorns or thick bark), but most often the defence is chemical. These compounds aren’t for growth or reproduction. Rather, they fight predators and pests; stave off bacteria, viruses, and fungi; and especially protect against solar radiation.
Our species is designed to take full advantage of all of Nature’s bounty—so we need to eat foods that contain the full range of protection available. Fortunately, the brilliant hues of fruits and vegetables provide visual cues to the source of all these beneficial compounds.
Carotenoids, for example, produce the colors in melons, carrots, squashes, and many greens. They produce similar colors because they have similar physical structures—and they perform a similar function in a variety of plants (in this case, protecting against the oxidative effects of sunlight). Other groups of compounds also bear family relationships in color, structure, and function.
The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is indeed a colourful and health-enhancing cornucopia. Let’s briefly visit each color of the spectrum and sample some of the treasures each holds for your health and longevity.
Red: Lycopene
Family: Carotenoid
Fast fact: Protects plants from toxic effects of oxygen and light.
Top picks: Tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, beets, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, goji berries, pomegranate, red onions, and red cabbage.
Benefits: Reduces risk of prostate cancer. In a study of men 40 years and older, those who consumed more than 10 servings of tomato products per week had two-thirds the risk of prostate cancer compared to those who ate less than 1.5 servings weekly. Lycopene may also reduce risk of osteoporosis, diabetes, and cancer of the skin, cervix, colon, and breast; and improve short- and long-term memory. Besides its antioxidant properties, lycopene detoxifies waste and inhibits the formation of cholesterol. Lycopene’s concentration in the body may be the highest of all carotenoids.
Did you know? Unlike some nutrients in fruits and vegetables—such as vitamin C, whose content is diminished upon cooking—the processing of tomatoes increases the bioavailability of lycopene. Lycopene in tomato paste is four times more bioavailable than that in fresh tomatoes.
Latest research hit: Scottish researchers looked at the effects of tomato extract on blood clotting in 90 healthy subjects. The tomato extract prevented blood clots, which could contribute to a reduced risk of heart attack. The tomato extract had the greatest effect in people with high levels of either homocysteine or C-reactive protein, both markers of cardiovascular risk.
Tip: The redder the tomato, the more lycopene it contains. Organic ketchup offers three times the amount of lycopene as nonorganic brands.
Orange: Beta-Carotene
Family: Carotenoid
Fast fact: A nontoxic precursor to vitamin A
Top picks: Winter and summer squash, pumpkins, papayas, apricots, peaches, oranges, carrots, cantaloupes, sweet potatoes, yams, persimmons.
Benefits: Powerful immune booster; high intake of foods rich in carotenes is associated with lower risk for cancer and heart disease. Supports eye health and night vision, helping prevent cataracts and age-related macular degeneration; protects the skin from UV radiation; helps ward off colds, flu, infections; supports female reproductive health; exhibits anti-aging effects; and protects your cells from free-radical damage.
Did you know? Natural beta-carotene consists of two linked molecules of vitamin A. Beta-carotene stores the energy from light in plant leaves during photosynthesis and can absorb light wavelengths that evade chlorophyll. Beta-carotene absorption is blocked by alcohol, birth-control pills, cigarette smoke, some cholesterol drugs, and methotrexate (a drug used to treat arthritis, psoriasis, and cancer).
Latest research hit: Blood levels of beta-carotene are tied to your body’s total level of antioxidants, not solely to the carotenoid itself. “Dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) is an independent predictor of plasma beta-carotene,” wrote the authors of a recent study. “This may explain, at least in part, the inverse relationship observed between plasma beta-carotene and risk of chronic disease associated with high levels of oxidative stress (i.e., diabetes and cardiovascular disease), as well as the failure of beta-carotene supplements alone in reducing such risk.” They report that increasing blood levels of the carotenoid were indeed associated with decreasing risk factors for diabetes and CVD, including C-reactive protein and triglyceride levels. Increased intakes of fat, fibre, fruits, vegetables, beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, and dietary antioxidants were also associated with increasing plasma beta-carotene levels.
Tip: Buy only supplements that use natural beta-carotene. (Synthetic beta-carotene contains only one vitamin A molecule.) As with foods rich in lycopene, cooking carrots boosts the absorption of beta-carotene because cooking breaks down the cell walls and releases the compound.
Yellow-Green: Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Meso-Zeaxanthin
Family: Carotenoid
Fast fact: The concentration of this trio of yellow-green carotenoids in the macular region of the retina in the eye is about 10,000 times greater than levels found in blood.
Top picks: Orange peppers, yellow corn, spinach and other greens, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, green beans, zucchini, cabbage, peas, avocados.
Benefits: Lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin are concentrated and protective in the delicate retina, helping to preserve detail vision and prevent blindness, particularly from age-related macular degeneration.
Did you know? The retina accumulates only lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin—no other carotenoids are found there, even in trace amounts. You can’t get meso-zeaxanthin directly from food; your body has to make it from raw starting materials contained in fruits and veggies from the yellow-green part of the rainbow. (Egg yolks are also high in lutein.) When taken as a supplement or food source, these nutrients build up the protective macula pigment density.
Latest research hit: High densities of lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin (known as xanthophylls) in the macula reduce the incidence of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), a major cause of blindness in the elderly. The density of the pigments in the human eye can be increased by eating foods rich in these carotenoids and by supplementation.
Tip: Supplement with 6 mg lutein daily, or try a combination product.
Blue-Purple-Violet: Anthocyanins
Family: Flavonoid
Fast fact: Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments that provide a red, purple, or blue color.
Top picks: Grapes, eggplant, mangosteen (exterior), prunes, plums, red and black currants, blueberries, red cabbage, beets, figs, cherries.
Benefits: Inhibit cholesterol levels in the blood, helping to maintain flexibility of blood vessels. Improve visual acuity, support blood flow to the eyes and nervous system, and can help prevent eye disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, and myopia. Protect the retina against free radical damage. New evidence indicates that cherries may reverse diabetes.
Did you know? Anthocyanins are found mostly in flowers and fruits, but also in leaves, stems, and roots. In these parts they are found predominantly in outer cell layers such as the epidermis and peripheral cells. This pigment is also a powerful antioxidant and protects plants from the negative effects of UV light (it’s their natural sunscreen) by absorbing dangerous light rays.
Tip: Resveratrol, a polyphenol compound found largely in the skins of red grapes, may thwart a host of age-related disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and bone-marrow cancer (multiple myeloma). It has now been shown to actually break down the plaque formation that is so characteristically damaging in AD. This is the first evidence I’ve seen that shows an actual reversal of the disease. Plus, it has consistently shown to extend life spans in various animal trials, including fish, fruit flies, and mice. It may also be the key factor in the French Paradox.
Latest research hit: Resveratrol shifted the physiology of middle-aged mice on a high-calorie diet toward that of mice on a standard diet, and significantly increased their survival. Resveratrol produced changes associated with longer life-span, including increased insulin sensitivity, reduced insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels, increased mitochondria, and improved motor function. Resveratrol opposed the effects of the high-calorie diet in 144 out of 153 significantly altered metabolic pathways. The data showed that improving general health in mammals using small molecules is an attainable goal, and point to new approaches for treating obesity-related disorders and diseases of aging. In addition, a peer-reviewed Michigan State University study of obese mice found that anthocyanins, such as those found in tart cherries, increased insulin production by 50 percent.
Create Your Own Rainbow Coalition
To find your personal pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, try eating foods from each color of the spectrum at least once per week. Your body is designed to benefit from a wide variety of phytonutrients, so don’t hesitate to try new foods and combinations. Recently a visiting friend cooked up a colourful combination of deep-orange yams and brilliant green Brussels sprouts. They made a tasty and healthy combination.
In our modern age, organic is your best bet to get these powerful healing properties that are needed for optimal health. Conventionally grown crops are mostly devoid of these once abundant phytonutrients. Organic foods naturally strengthen and boost their phytonutrient defenses, concentrating the carotenoid and polyphenol defenders so that they are ready to go to work for you when eaten.
At one time organic foods were tough to find, and much more expensive than conventionally grown produce. But the marketplace has spoken, and now you can find organic foods of all varieties in your local grocery, for little more than the ordinary kind. So on your next food-shopping trip, fill your basket with every color you see.
References
Lycopene: O’Kennedy N, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84:561–569.
Beta-carotene: Valtuena, et al. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007;61:69–76.
Lutein: Krinsky N, et al. Ann Rev Nutr. 2003;23:171–201.
Anthocyanins: Baur, et al. Nature. 2006;(444):337–342.Jayaprakasam B, et al. J Agric Food Chem. 2006;54:243–248. |
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