Vegetables and fruits are essential for a healthy diet, as they are juicy, light and refreshing, and nutritious. People often have a hard time when it comes to buying fruits and vegetables: there are so many kinds of fruits and vegetables, what should I eat?
Don't dwell on it anymore!This article will tell you tips for choosing fruits and vegetables, so that you can eat more "good nutrition" while eating fruits and vegetables. 
Pixabay can be divided into dark fruits and vegetables and light fruits and vegetables if they are classified in terms of color. This is easy to understand, and the dark color is naturally dark vegetables and fruitsWhen choosing fruits and vegetables, be sure to choose more dark fruits and vegetables!Compared to light-coloured fruits and vegetables, dark-coloured fruits and vegetables are not only more colourful but also more nutritious. Why are dark fruits and vegetables 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. The "Dietary Nutrient Reference Intakes for Chinese Residents (2023 Edition)" only gives a specific recommended value for lutein, which is 10mg d, and the foods rich in it are marigolds, 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. Some large-scale prospective studies in Europe and the United States have found that lycopene levels in the body are negatively correlated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease and stroke. There are also some studies that mention that lycopene intake has a protective effect on prostate cancer, especially progressive prostate cancer. 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。
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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, meta-anthocyanins have been shown to significantly improve ocular 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. 
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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 investigations have shown thatMagnesium intake was negatively correlated with hypertension, and magnesium supplementation was associated with a decrease in 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. 
***pixabayCommon dark vegetables and fruits are in a nutritional competition
- Dark green fruits and vegetablesRape, spinach, leeks, celery, water spinach, lettuce leaves, lettuce, broccoli, chrysanthemum, radish tassel, lettuce, green pepper, kiwi, etc. - Orange fruits and vegetablesCarrots, pumpkins, yellow peppers, mangoes, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, cantaloupe, persimmons, etc. - Red, purple and black fruits and vegetablesTomatoes, red peppers, red colored peppers, red amaranth, purple cabbage, purple lettuce, purple onions, seaweed, mulberries, black goji berries, blueberries, bayberry, cherries, watermelon, etc. Generally speaking, dark vegetables are more nutritious than light-colored vegetables, so let's take a look at the nutritional comparison of 6 vegetables that look alike but have large differences in color shades.
Nutrition facts
Baby cabbage
Chinese cabbage
Dietary fiber. g/100g
Carotene. g/100g
Vitamin CMG 100g
Calcium mg 100g
Potassium mg 100g
Magnesium mg 100g
Nutritional comparison of bok choy and bok choy [4].
Nutrition facts
Broccoli
Cauliflower (white).
Dietary fiber. g/100g
Carotene. g/100g
Vitamin CMG 100g
Calcium mg 100g
Potassium mg 100g
Magnesium mg 100g
Nutritional comparison of broccoli and cabbage flowers[4].
Nutrition facts
Purple cabbage
Cabbage
Carotene. g/100g
Vitamin CMG 100g
Calcium mg 100g
Potassium mg 100g
Magnesium mg 100g
Nutritional comparison of red cabbage and cabbage[4].
Nutrition facts
Purple-skinned onions
Yellow-skinned onions
White-skinned onions
Dietary fiber g 100g
Calcium mg 100g
Potassium mg 100g
Magnesium mg 100g
Total flavonoids mg 100g
Nutritional comparison of three colors of onions [5].
Nutrition facts
Red heart radish
(Hearts are beautiful).
White radish
Dietary fiber. g/100g
Carotene. g/100g
Vitamin CMG 100g
Calcium mg 100g
Potassium mg 100g
Magnesium mg 100g
Nutritional comparison of red radish and white radish [4].
Nutrition facts
Dried black fungus
Dried white fungus
(Tremella fuciformis).
Dietary fiber g 100g
Carotene. g/100g
Calcium mg 100g
Potassium mg 100g
Magnesium mg 100g
Nutritional comparison of black and white fungus[4].
It's not difficult to eat enough, just 7 tricks to get it!
The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents suggest that you should eat 200 350g of fruit per day, which is equivalent to the amount of 1 2 apples, 2 3 kiwis, 2 3 large oranges, and ** large strawberries ("or"), which is easy for most people to do. As for vegetables, the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" recommends that we should consume no less than 300g of fresh vegetables every day, of which dark vegetables should account for more than 1 2, and it would be better if we could eat enough 500g a day!A lot of people look at it as a 06 catties 1 catty, a lot of vegetables, it's too difficult to eat enough!It's actually not that hard, mastering 7 tricks will get you enough vegetables. Eat all three meals: Set a rule for yourself in your diet, and you must have vegetables at every meal, so that you can more easily achieve your goal of eating 300 500g of vegetables a day. Eat it when it's cooked:Vegetables are cooked not only for safety, but also to be able to eat more. Although 300 500g of vegetables looks like a lot when they are raw, they are really not too much when cooked. 100g of green leafy vegetables will be less than 1 fist after cooking, and it is good to eat 3 to 5 fists of cooked vegetables every day, which is equivalent to 1 to 1 in each of the three meals5 fist vegetables. Eat extra meals too:If you don't feel like you're getting enough vegetables for your main meal, you can rely on extra meals to help. When you have a snack in the morning and afternoon, you can also choose vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers that are easy to eat. Put it in a prominent place:Don't put vegetables in the innermost part of the refrigerator, not only will they frostbite them, but they will also be easily forgotten. More often than not, the kind of food that stands out most when you open the refrigerator door is more likely to be selected for eating. Make the table colorful:Choosing vegetables of different colors and having them appear together on the table can be visually pleasing and stimulate appetite. Stuffed food:In terms of the way to eat vegetables, in addition to the common stir-fried and cold dressing, for those who don't like to eat vegetables directly, dumplings and buns with fillings are the most delicious, which is a good way to increase vegetable intake. Drink vegetable juice and don't throw slag :If you really don't like eating vegetables directly, then make fruit and vegetable juice (without removing the residue), which is also a good way to increase your vegetable intake. Remember to rinse your mouth in time after drinking to maintain oral health. For the selection of vegetables and fruits, you really have to be ""!Choose more dark fruits and vegetables, and you can get more nutrients. It's not difficult to eat more vegetables every day, and you can do it with a little effort. References
1] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Reference Intakes for Chinese Residents (2023 Edition)[M].People's Medical Publishing House. 2023.8
2] Zhang Bing, Lei Shengjiao, Zhang Lei, Shi Songsong, Xia Xinke. Structural identification and antioxidant activity of chlorophyll in the pulp of kiwifruit in Yichang green-fleshed kiwifruit[J].Science and Technology of Food Industry, 2019, 40(23): 31-3541
3] Sun Changhao. Nutrition and Food Hygiene. 8th Edition. People's Medical Publishing House. 2018
4] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table, 6th Edition, Volume 1[M].Peking University Medical Press, 2018
5] Li Jinwei, Wang Liang, Fan Liuping. Analysis of nutrient composition of three kinds of onions[J].Science and Technology of Food Industry,2010,31(05):345-347doi:10.13386/j.issn1002-0306.2010.05.089.
Planning and production
This article is a work of popular science China-Star Project.
Produced by the Department of Science Popularization of the China Association for Science and Technology.
Producer: China Science and Technology Press***, Beijing Zhongke Galaxy Culture Media***
Author丨Xue Qingxin, member of Chinese Nutrition Society, registered dietitian, health manager, public nutritionist.
Audit丨Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center.
Planning丨Lin Lin Wang Mengru.
Editor-in-charge |Wang Mengru.