Eat the rainbow: nutritionist explains health benefits of colourful fruit and vegetables
- Michelle Lau, a nutrition consultancy founder, shares tips for getting all the antioxidants from red, orange, green and purple produce.
- Every week, Talking Points gives you a worksheet to practise your reading comprehension with exercises about the story we’ve written
What’s your favourite fresh food to snack on? Photo: ShutterstockIn a market, you might see red tomatoes, orange carrots, leafy greens and purple aubergines. This rainbow collection of fruits and vegetables should also be on your plate.
But why does the colour of your food matter?
Michelle Lau is a registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of a nutrition consultancy, Nutrilicious. She tells Young Post that a plant’s natural colour is related to how it improves health.
Brightly coloured fruits or vegetables usually have more nutrients for your body.
So, are cabbage and cauliflower bad for you? According to Lau, produce with lighter colours still has nutrients, but they usually have fewer antioxidants. These protect our body’s cells from damage.
Spread the red
Tomatoes, red capsicum and watermelon are red fruits and vegetables that have an antioxidant called lycopene. Even pink foods like grapefruit and guava have this antioxidant.
Lycopene protects your body’s cells from damage and lowers the risk of certain cancers. It also protects your skin from sun damage.
Orange glow
Fruits and vegetables with an orange colour help your body fight disease.
For carrots, pumpkins and sweet potatoes, the orange colour comes from beta-carotene. This antioxidant becomes vitamin A in our bodies.
These nutrients keep your eyes healthy, improve memory and lower the risk of certain cancers and heart diseases. Beta-carotene is also found in some green foods, like spinach and kale.
Quick, healthy meals you can make with frozen or canned vegetables
Keen for green
Green plants get their colour from chlorophyll, which helps plants grow and make food. Many green fruits and vegetables also contain folate and vitamin K. Examples include broccoli, spinach and lettuce.
These nutrients support the health of your blood, bones and brain. They also lower the risk of certain cancers.
Is it purple or blue?
Blueberries, aubergines and cherries all get their colour from anthocyanins. This antioxidant is good for the brain and heart, and it protects against cancer and diabetes.
Blueberries seem blue because they have a special layer that tricks your brain into seeing this colour. When you smash a blueberry, the juice is purple. This comes from the anthocyanins.
Are blueberries really blue? How nature plays tricks on you
Tips for rainbow eating
Lau noted that candies and other junk food usually get their colouring from man-made ingredients. These do not have the antioxidants and other nutrients that are in fruits and vegetables.
The nutritionist said teenagers should have one to two cups of fruit and one to three cups of vegetables daily.
It can be hard to wash and slice four different colours of fruits or veggies every day. Instead, Lau recommended saving time by preparing snack packs for the next three days.
Produce that stays fresh for a few days when stored well includes carrots, blueberries, strawberries and capsicum.
Dry your fruits and veggies well after washing and slicing. Take three containers or sealed bags, and place a paper towel inside. Add a handful of each item. The paper towel soaks up the extra moisture to keep your food fresh. On each pack, write the date it was made. Finally, place them in your refrigerator.
To test your understanding of this story, download our printable worksheet or answer the questions in the quiz below.