A New Color in the Food Rainbowby Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger 04 Apr 2008 06:44 PM Is your plate full of colorful food? Leafy, green veggies, brightly colored fruits, and more? Eating foods from the entire rainbow is a great way to ensure that you have a healthy, balanced diet. But there's one more color you might not be eating: black. Dark purple and red fruits and vegetables are known as "black produce" -- think Mission figs, blackberries, and eggplant. These foods (even darkly colored carrots and corn) are full of antioxidants called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are the pigments that give black produce their deep, dark color. Did you know? There are approximately six hundred different anthocyanins found in foods. These pigments may be able to help prevent heart disease and chronic inflammation that can lead to cancer. Anthocyanins might even be able to help slow the growth of colon cancer cells! Researchers from the Ohio State University are studying the effects of anthocyanins on cancer cells as we speak. So how can you add healthy black produce to your diet? Here are some dark colored fruits and vegetables to get you started:
Try using black beans and wild rice (or a combination of long grain and wild rice) in your burritos. Snack on dried or fresh fruit. You can get a whole rainbow of health benefits in a fruit salad or dried fruit trail mix. Black isn't just for little dresses and formal affairs any longer! Add black produce to your diet for the extra health boost. Just don't forget red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white, either. Make sure the whole rainbow is a part of your diet and you'll be well fed and well protected. Learn more about Aimee Amodio  Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover... Relevanthealth tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Discuss this article
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