So let’s explore the health benefits of each color. You will surely know how important it is to eat your greens. But what about reds or purples or blues? It can be tempting to eat the same fruits and vegetables every day. However, eating a variety of different colored fruits and vegetables every day can have a number of health benefits.

Simply put, plants contain different pigments, or phytonutrients, that give them their color, and these different colors are associated with certain nutrients and antioxidants that can support your health.

In a recent article Stylist.co.uk teamed up with Libby Linford, nutritionist and founder of the Surrey Center for Nutrition, for a breakdown of what each color means for health.

Green

“Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, collards and spinach are rich in chlorophyll,” explains Linford. “Chlorophyll is considered a powerful antioxidant that can prevent cell damage».

Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage healthy cells in the body, causing inflammation and disease in the body. Certain lifestyle factors, such as a diet high in processed and sugary foods, smoking, and exposure to toxic chemicals can accelerate the production of free radicals. Antioxidants, however, are great at fighting these free radicals to keep cells healthy.

Orange and yellow

Carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins contain the antioxidant beta-carotene, which can help protect vision and prevent age-related macular degeneration. A study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that a diet high in beta-carotene can help absorb UV radiation, protecting the skin from the sun (although this should not be a substitute for daily apply SPF, of course).

While another study conducted in 2016 found that eating yellow food can actually make you happier.

Red

Tomatoes and watermelon are rich in the antioxidant lycopene, which can reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease. “Red foods such as beetroot also contain nitric oxide, which has been shown to support dilation of blood vessels and therefore improve circulationexplains Linford.

Purple and blue

Purple and blue fruits and vegetables like blueberries and eggplants contain antioxidants called anthocyanin and resveratrol. Linford explains that these powerful antioxidants can reduce levels of oxidative stress by also reducing inflammation in the body. A 2017 study showed that anthocyanin has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties that can help protect against various diseases.

White and brown

Although perhaps not as pretty, white vegetables like cauliflower, garlic and onions have significant health benefits. Quercetin and allicin are plant compounds found in white and brown vegetables and have antioxidant properties thus supporting the body in fighting cell damage from free radicals.

Is it possible to eat a large amount of monochromatic fruits and vegetables?

“In general, you are unlikely to consume a very large amount of a phytochemical from a plain foodsays Linford.

It recommends eating a variety of different colors in your daily diet. “As we see above, there is no one color that supports the health of a body system. Instead, there are many phytochemicals that have the ability to support immune health, reduce inflammation, boost detoxification, and prevent free radical damage.».

Therefore, it is not enough to ensure that you only consume a lot of fruits and vegetables of one color, but to try to “eat” a properly balanced color palette every day.