Take a look at the following recent news headlines:
- Tea found to fight Alzheimer's enzymes
- Berry phenol fights harmful bacteria in gut
- Strong-flavored onions show promise for fighting cancer
- Cranberry juice improves good cholesterol
- Cruciferous vegetables: Phytochemical powerhouses
Did you find the hidden idea common to all? Yes, all of them refer to plants. Some relate to colored plant foods. What's going on here?
Plants naturally produce substances that protect them against viruses, bacteria, fungi ... even insects. Some phytochemicals ("phyto-" = plant) also seem to be protective for humans. And, better yet, some phytochemicals are highly colored, making it very easy to select fruits and vegetables that contain them.
Let's continue with the color idea.
Orange and deep yellow indicate beta-carotene. The darker the color, the more beta-carotene. Think carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, winter squash, mangoes, papayas, cantaloupe. Beta-carotene helps your body neutralize some very nasty substances, called free radicals, and may cut your risk for cancer.
Red is a color marker for lycopene. Lycopene is a carotenoid, just like beta-carotene. Remember tomatoes, tomato products, pink grapefruit, watermelon. These may be particularly helpful in cutting the risk for prostate cancer. An interesting tidbit: Lycopene is more available in cooked tomato products, like ketchup, than in raw tomatoes ... go figure!
Dark green identifies vegetables that contain lutein and zeaxanthin (those carotenoids just keep popping up). Veggies to keep in mind: spinach, collard or turnip greens, dark green lettuces, kale. Zeaxanthin is also found in corn ("zea-" = corn). These compounds help the eye and vision by cutting the risk for age-related damage to the retina, called macular degeneration.
Purple, dark red and blue colors signify a different kind of phytochemical called flavonoids. Examples of foods with flavonoids include berries, purple grapes, cherries, red cabbage and red-skinned potatoes. flavonoids can help keep our heart and blood vessels healthy, as well as provide protection from cancer. Some, in cranberries, seem to help prevent urinary tract infections.
What color are the cruciferous vegetables mentioned in one of the above news headlines? And what are cruciferous vegetables? They are a family of strong-flavored vegetables that many of us know and love: broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower. Color varies in this veggie family, from light and dark green to white and purple. But all of them contain sulfur-containing phytochemicals. It's the sulfur that seems to do the trick, both for the strong taste and for protection against cancer and problems with the heart, blood vessels and cholesterol levels.
Funny thing about sulfur. It also shows up in other strong-tasting vegetables, like onions, garlic and leeks. Veggies in the allium family add flavor and fragrance to our foods. They may also help fight diseases like cancer.
So Mom was right! She probably didn't know about phytochemicals. But somehow she still knew how important it is to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables.