These substances naturally found in our plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, cereals and legumes are called phytochemicals (plant chemicals).
Humans have used plants as medicine since their existence. Medicines such as quinine and
aspirin were found as a result of the examination of plants. Today, about a quarter of the medicines we use are of plant origin. Researchers find new active elements in protection from the diseases of our age by researching the plants that ancient societies consumed with the aim of treatment and animals instinctively ate to get fit.
Many of the health benefits found in our plant foods are the color pigments that give color to vegetables and fruits. Vegetables and fruits, which have a very valuable place in our diet with the density of nutrients and phytochemicals they contain, are grouped as follows according to their color.
Pink-red: Watermelon, tomato and pink grapefruit are rich in lycopene. By catching free radicals that damage genes, lycopene acts as a protective feature against various cancers, especially prostate, and lung diseases.
Dark red/purple: Foods such as red and black grapes, berries, cherries, red plums and apples, red peppers, beets, red cabbage, red wine and eggplant contain anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants. Anthocyanins slow down cell aging and prevent blood clotting.
Orange/yellow: Foods such as carrot, apricot, pumpkin, yellow squash, orange, and peach contain elements called carotene and cryptoxanthin. These elements also fight free radicals, repair damaged DNA and protect against heart disease.
Green/yellow and dark green: Spinach, whole greens, peas and melons are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which prevent cataracts and blindness, and foods such as broccoli and cabbage are rich in sulforaphane, isocyanate and indoles, which reduce the effect of carcinogens.
White/green: Allicin, which has anticarcinogenic effects in garlic, onions, leeks and celery; Apples, pears, and white grapes also contain flavonoids with antioxidant properties, such as quercetin and kempferol.
For healthy and true nutrition, choosing foods by color can be used as an easy-to-remember way to get the beneficial aspects they contain.
