If fruits and vegetables are classified in color, they can be divided into dark fruits and vegetables and fruits and vegetables.
This can be understood, that is, the color looks very dark naturally is dark vegetables and fruits, when choosing vegetables and fruits, be sure to choose more dark vegetables and fruits!Compared to light-coloured fruits and vegetables, dark-coloured fruits and vegetables are not only more colourful but also more nutritious.
Dark fruits and vegetables not only contain vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and other nutrients, but also rich in natural pigments, such as carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, lycopene, anthocyanins, chlorophyll, etc. In general, the higher the content of these substances, the darker the color of fruits and vegetables.
Don't underestimate these natural pigments, they have antioxidant effects and are very beneficial to health.
Carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
They are carotenoids, which give foods an orange-yellow color, and of course they are not only found in yellow fruits and vegetables, but also in leafy greens, but they are masked by the green.
Carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin are all important nutrients related to the retina. Among them, carotene is an important source of vitamin A, which can be converted into vitamin A in the body, which can protect vision, prevent dry eye, prevent eye blindness and other eye diseases, and is also beneficial to our healthLutein is a derivative of carotene, and zeaxanthin is a derivative of carotene, both of which help us defend against blue light damage to the eyes, prevent retinal damage, and antioxidant to help prevent macular degeneration of the retina.
In the "Dietary Nutrient Reference Intake for Chinese Residents (2023 Edition)", only a specific recommended value of 10mg d is given for lutein, and the foods rich in it are marigold, leeks, amaranth, pumpkin, spinach, and bok choy, among which marigold and leeks have the highest content, respectively 1874mg/100g、18.23mg/100g。
Lycopene. Lycopene is also a type of carotenoid, which is the main pigment in ripe tomatoes and gives food a tomato-like red color.
Lycopene has antioxidant properties, which can help us remove excess free radicals in the body, and can also help our body fight inflammation, enhance the body's oxidative stress capacity, and improve immunityIt also protects cardiovascular health and lowers serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, commonly known as "bad cholesterol."
In addition, intervention studies focusing on lycopene products have found that it has a certain effect on improving blood pressure, especially reducing systolic blood pressure.
The specific recommended value for lycopene in China is 15mg daily. Foods rich in lycopene are tomatoes, guava, watermelon, red grapefruit, red peppers, purple cabbage, etc., and the most recommended is tomato paste, which contains 293mg/100g。
Anthocyanins, anthocyanins.
Anthocyanins, which are all familiar to everyone, combine with different sugars to form anthocyanins. Both of these can give food colors, such as red, purple, black, and blue, but the color of the anthocyanins can change depending on the pH of the environment. Because anthocyanins are unstable, they generally exist in the form of anthocyanins in nature, and anthocyanins are more stable than anthocyanins.
Anthocyanins have antioxidant properties, strong ability to scavenge free radicals, and can also inhibit the body's inflammatory response. Dietary intake of anthocyanin-rich foods can significantly improve dyslipidemia and lower triglycerides. In addition, anthocyanins have also been shown to significantly improve eye symptoms such as glaucoma, intraocular hypertension and xerophthalmia.
The specific recommended value of anthocyanins in China is 50mg d, and the foods rich in it are mulberry, bayberry, black plum, blueberry, purple cabbage, hawthorn, perilla, black rice, black bean, etc., among which mulberry is the most abundant, with a content of 668mg 100g.
Chlorophyll. Most green leafy vegetables are rich in chlorophyll, and many green fleshy fruits also contain chlorophyll, which also has antioxidant properties. Moreover, chlorophyll is also the main complex of magnesium, so foods rich in chlorophyll also contain magnesium, and the darker the color, the higher the content of magnesium.
Epidemiological studies have shown that magnesium intake is significantly negatively correlated with hypertension, and magnesium supplementation can reduce vascular tone and vascular tone. In addition, magnesium also helps to reduce serum cholesterol concentrations, reduce blood triglyceride concentrations, lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol, which can prevent the occurrence of atherosclerosis.
Foods rich in chlorophyll include bok choy, rape, leeks, kiwifruit, etc.
To sum it up briefly:
Dark green fruits and vegetables: rape, spinach, leeks, celery, water spinach, lettuce leaves, lettuce, broccoli, chrysanthemum, radish tassels, lettuce, green peppers, kiwifruit, etc.
Orange fruits and vegetables: carrots, pumpkin, yellow peppers, mangoes, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, cantaloupe, persimmons, etc.
Red, purple and black fruits and vegetables: tomatoes, red peppers, red peppers, red amaranth, purple cabbage, purple lettuce, purple onions, seaweed, mulberries, black goji berries, blueberries, bayberry, cherries, watermelon, etc.