Originally published July 27 2005
Blue, purple and red foods are good for the body
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Blue, purple and dark red fruits and vegetables -- like grapes, blueberries, purple cabbage and eggplant -- are rich in antioxidants and may help prevent against cancer and cardiovascular disease and improve vision.
With no trouble at all, we've found more than 10 recent studies that underline the potential benefits of eating blue, purple, and dark red foods.
The National Cancer Institute is campaigning to get Americans to eat 5 to 9 servings of colorful fruits and vegetables daily, including blue and purple ones.
Anthocyanins are probably the most important group of visible plant pigments, apart from chlorophyll, which is the green pigment that enables plants to turn sunlight into carbohydrates.
There are about 300 bluish pigments, all with high antioxidant activity.
There are as yet no large-scale studies in humans, but in laboratory and animal studies these pigments appear to block cancer-causing chemicals and to suppress tumor growth.
Think of purple grapes, blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, boysenberries, figs, raisins, purple cabbage, eggplants, plums, black currants, prunes, and (when they can be found) purple sweet peppers.
And while you're reaching for blue and purple, don't neglect the red: cabbages, beets, apples, cherries, and strawberries -- also rich in anthocyanins and other pigments.
A study from the University of Illinois reviewed the potential impact of strawberries on human health.
With their bouquet of phytochemicals, including anthocyanins, strawberries offer all the potential benefits listed above.
In addition, the article said, "preliminary animal studies have indicated that diets rich in strawberries may also have the potential to provide benefits to the aging brain."
Of course, animal studies are not proof of human benefit.
But strawberries and other colorful foods are better bets than dubious supplements.
They really do embody the best of nature's bounty.
If you've been roaming the aisles of the drugstore or health-food store, or searching the Internet for healthy substances, the produce counter is far safer, cheaper, and more reliable.
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