Friday, September 16, 2011

Are You Getting Your Daily Five?

Do you always manage to get in your daily allotment of fruits and vegetables?

It's a lot easier to make sure if you keep track of colors.  Eat one food from each color and you'll be good to go.

Red Foods:
Berries, red grapefruit, watermelon, red apples, red peppers, pomegranates, beets, radicchio, red cabbage, tomatoes.


All of these foods contain lycopene and anthocyanins.  These help to maintain heart health, boost memory, keep the urinary tract healthy, and they help to lower  the risk of cancer.


Yellow and Orange Foods:
Apricots, cantaloupe, grapefruit, mango, papaya, peaches, oranges, pineapple, lemons, tangerines, yellow peppers, pumpkin, butternut squash, carrots.


These foods are full of carotenoids.  Carotenoids help to strengthen  the immune system, help to maintain sharp vision, and lower the risk of heart disease and cancer.


Green Foods:
Green apples, honeydew melon, green grapes, kiwi, limes, pears, avocado, asparagus, arugula, artichokes, broccoli, broccoli rabe, kale. collard greens, green peppers, green beans, lettuce, cucumbers, spinach, zucchini, green cabbage.


All of these contain lutein and indoles and the deep green ones provide lots of key minerals and essential vitamins.  They help to keep vision sharp and to maintain strong bones and teeth and they help to prevent cancer.


Blue and Purple Foods:
Blackberries, blueberries, plums, purple grapes, raisins, eggplant, purple potatoes, purple asparagus.

These foods contain anthocyanins and phenolics which help with anti-aging.  And they have lots of antioxidants.


White and Brown Foods:
Bananas, dates, cauliflower, garlic, onion, mushrooms, ginger, parsnips, potatoes, shallots, turnips.

These foods have phytonutrient allicin which helps to prevent heart disease and cancer.


So keep this list handy and when you are planning your weekly meals plan to add at least one food from each color throughout your day and then you will be sure to get you daily five!

This post is linked to:
Food Renegade, Fight Back Friday
Real Food Freaks, Freaky Friday
Real Food Whole Health, Fresh Bites Friday

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