Better nutrition at the end of the rainbow...

You’ve heard it a million times, but how easily we forget!  Color is the best cues of nutritional density - and the darker the better!  Beyond those obvious exceptions, color is a reliable way to decipher nutritional value.  Brightly colored fruits and vegetables contain plant compounds or phytonutrients that provide the distinctive shade that you see and specific health benefits you may not even know about!

Blue/Purple

These dark-colored fruits and veggies are a good source of anthocyanins, the purplish phytonutrient that put blueberries on the map as a superfood!  

THINK: purple grapes, eggplant, purple asparagus, and purple carrots.

Yellow/Orange

Here you will find ample amounts of antioxidants such as vitamin C and beta carotene.

THINK: butternut squash, carrots, pumpkins, bell peppers, sweet potatoes and apricots.

Red

Red is a red flag for such health-promoting compounds as lycopene and anthocyanins.

THINK: raspberries, strawberries, red grapes, red peppers, beets and tomatoes

Green

The signal for chlorophyll and green veggies are potent in folate and such phytonutrients as carotenoids, lutein and indoles.  Dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale are richer in nutrients than the paler iceberg lettuce.

THINK: asparagus, Brussels sprouts, green beans, spinach, kale, zucchini and snow peas.

Voila!  A beautiful pallet on your plate! 

Until Monday - keep thinking veggies and protein!