Day 19 of my top 30 for 30:
One of the many wonderful properties about raw fruits and vegetables is the synergistic symphony of phytonutrients and antioxidants they contain. For example, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables tend to be rich in antioxidant carotenoids and xanthophylls, like beta carotene, alpha carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, etc.
Berries with red, purple, or blue coloring tend to be rich in antioxidant anthocyanins. In addition to anthocyanins, red raspberries additionally contain ellagic acid (also found in pomegranates), quercetin, and a variety of other phytonutrients.
Leafy greens are well-known for their chlorophyll and folate content. They also contain carotenoids and xanthophylls that we do not see because the chlorophyll is covering them when the leaf is photosynthetically active. Leafy greens need chlorophyll in order to create energy from sunlight through a process called photosynthesis. As the leaf approaches the end of its life, the chlorophyll breaks down revealing the yellow and/or orange carotenoids underneath. Much like what happens with foliage in the fall.
Blueberries in addition to being a source of anthocyanins, also have a number of phytochemicals currently under research. It will be exciting to see what the researchers find! This is one of the many things I love about research, it’s constantly evolving and we get to learn more about nutrition and health on an ongoing basis!
The bottom line is that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables offers a variety of different phytonutrients to our body in addition to the important vitamins and minerals they provide. I do my best to include rainbow of fruits and vegetables in my daily diet.
You can find the recipes for a variety of smoothies along with salads, dressings, and lots of other delicious raw foods in our free Holiday Raw Food Recipe Guide eBook you can receive when you register for our email list here: https://rawfoodeducation.com/?page_id=3322
What are some of your favorite brightly colored fruits and vegetables?