Color Your Diet Healthy With A Rainbow Of Fruits And Vegetables

RALEIGH -- The color of food is a result of the pigment, and the pigment contains much more than just color.

The pigment contains powerful disease preventers and fighters called phytonutrients.

The more color you get in your diet, the better your odds of preventing chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer.

Red:
The color in these foods helps reduce the risk of certain cancers. Some examples include tomatoes and tomato products, including tomato sauce, ketchup, pasta sauce; watermelon, pink grapefruit, strawberries, cherries, red potatoes and red peppers.

Blue-purple:
The color in these foods helps improve circulation and memory and helps fight cancer. Some examples include blueberries, prunes, grapes, blackberries, some cherries, cranberries and eggplant.

Orange:
The color in these foods helps protect cells from damage, which also helps prevent cancer. Try carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, pumpkin, mangos and winter squash.

Orange-yellow:
The color in these foods helps keep the cells healthy, which also helps prevent cancer. Some examples include oranges, tangerines, pineapple, and nectarines.

Yellow-green:
The color in these foods helps protect the eyes and prevent a damaging eye disease that may result in blindness as we get older. Some examples include Brussels sprouts, cabbage, green peas, yellow peppers, corn and honeydew melon.

Green:
The color in these foods helps prevent heart disease and cancer. Some examples include spinach, broccoli, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens and green peppers.

White-green:
The color in these foods helps protect cells from damage. Some examples include garlic, onions, chives, leeks, shallots, endive, asparagus, pears, mushrooms, celery and cauliflower.

Remember, the darker the color, the higher the food is in disease-fighting compounds.