The Rainbow of Antioxidants

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

06 Oct 2007 08:29 AM

The more colorful your diet is, the more antioxidants you get. Antioxidants help repair and reduce cell damage all over your body, for a laundry list of beneficial effects:

• Keep your skin plump and firm.
• Keep your memory sharp.
• Prevent disease.
• Prevent arterial hardening that can lead to heart disease or stroke.

Every different color of fruit and vegetable offers the body a different type of healthy antioxidant and other nutrients. Inside and out, antioxidants are good for you.

Red fruits and veggies, like tomatoes, red kidney beans, red onion, red bell pepper, radicchio, and watermelon, are full of lycopene. This antioxidant may help protect against cancer and heart disease.

Orange and yellow fruits and veggies like sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, mangoes, corn, apricots, pineapple, and melons are full of carotenoids. These antioxidants help reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Green vegetables like spinach, field greens, watercress, and broccoli are high in lutein. This antioxidant helps keep your vision sharp.

Blue and purple fruits and veggies like blueberries, blackberries, mission figs, red grapes, and eggplant are full of anthocyanins. These antioxidants prevent tumors from forming and can suppress growth in existing tumors.

White foods can be good for you, too! Cauliflower, garlic, onions, potatoes, cheeses, chicken, seafood, and tofu all have their benefits. Some white foods are high in protein, like chicken, seafood, and tofu. Sulfur compounds in garlic and onions may help fight stomach and colon cancers. Potatoes and jicama are full of healthy vitamins.

If you want to make the world's healthiest salad, just make sure you include one fruit or vegetable from each color group. Research indicates that different antioxidants can work together and boost each other's health benefits. Want a super cancer fighting salad? Be sure to include red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple fruits and vegetables.

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Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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