‘Eat the rainbow’ is a phrase often used to encourage people to consume a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables. By incorporating a range of colours in our diet we can benefit from the phytonutrients in these foods that give them their characteristic colours. With ‘phyto’ being Greek for ’plant’, it makes sense that fruits and vegetables are the best sources of these chemicals. Although, phytonutrients are also found in smaller quantities in grains, nuts, beans, herbs, coffee, and tea. Skittles or multi-coloured cake icing despite being coloured obviously doesn’t produce the same benefits (don’t even get us started on the amount of sugar in those little buggers), as they’re artificially coloured. Now we can dive deeper into different colours of foods and the phytonutrients they contain.
Red: The antioxidant lycopene is proposed to be protective against cancers and heart disease. Found in tomatoes, strawberries, and watermelon, lycopene reduces oxidative damage to cells, thereby aiding healthy ageing and blood purification. Red anthocyanins are another group of compounds found in red foods such as cherries that possesses a wide range of benefits from anti-obesity to cardiovascular protection.
Orange: We all want great vision, a robust immune system, and a reduced risk of cancer. Beta-carotene is a carotenoid found in carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins. Being a precursor to vitamin A, beta-carotene does wonders for ocular health and skin ageing. Zeaxanthin and lutein are two other carotenoids found in orange foods that also play a protective role in eye health. Starting to see a pattern here?
Yellow: Turmeric and ginger are two foods we consider to be close to ‘superfood’ status. Looking firstly at turmeric, curcumin is the phytonutrient responsible for its distinctive yellow colour. This compound has been suggested to have powerful anti-cancer and perhaps anti-ageing properties. Along with another compound turmerone, both phytonutrients have anti-inflammatory roles within the body, reducing pain and swelling. Gingerols are a group of substances that have similar effects within the body but are found in abundance in ginger.
Green: Chlorophyll is the most abundant pigment in plants – it’s what makes plants green and allows them to photosynthesise. Detoxification is a major selling point for chlorophyll as many green foods like broccoli, spinach, and kiwi are common players in so-called ‘detox smoothies’. Chlorophyll’s ability to bind and eliminate heavy metals detoxes the body, supporting both healthy circulation and blood oxygen levels. Sulforaphane is a compound found almost exclusively in green foods and also plays a role in detoxification by increasing the production of the antioxidant glutathione within the body.
Violet: Grapes, aubergines, and blueberries contain purple/violet anthocyanins which are responsible for most of the anti-oxidative effects in these foods. Anthocyanins are antioxidants belonging to the flavonoid family of phytonutrients which have been shown to improve cognitive function so much so that some academic tutors recommend consuming blueberries before an exam (*wink wink). These effects are down to the anthocyanins found in purple foods that are also anti-inflammatory and anti-tumorigenic.
White & Brown: Even if white and brown aren’t the first colours that come to mind when thinking of anything colourful, white and brown vegetables have many potent phytonutrients with protective effects within the body. For example, garlic and onions both contain the compound allicin. Named after their sizeable presence in the allium family (onions, garlic, shallots, leeks), allicin has huge anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory effects on the body.
Clearly, we can see the incredible perks of eating a diet rich in colour and diversity. Adding colour to your diet is as simple as incorporating a fruit or vegetable of a different colour into each meal. Supplementing these nutrients won’t have the same effects as obtaining them from whole foods as the interactions and reactions biomolecules undergo are immensely complex. The important thing to remember isn’t necessarily the names and benefits of all the compounds, but rather that the greater the variety of colours in the food you eat, the more beneficial it is for your health. So get out there and eat the rainbow!
References used:
- Monjotin, N., Amiot, M. J., Fleurentin, J., Morel, J. M., & Raynal, S. (2022). Clinical evidence of the benefits of phytonutrients in human healthcare. Nutrients, 14(9), 1712.
- Aggarwal, B. B., Yuan, W., Li, S., & Gupta, S. C. (2013). Curcumin‐free turmeric exhibits anti‐inflammatory and anticancer activities: Identification of novel components of turmeric. Molecular nutrition & food research, 57(9), 1529-1542.
- Kacar, S., Sariisik, E., & Sahinturk, V. (2022). Beta-carotene exerted anti-proliferative and apoptotic effect on malignant mesothelioma cells. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s archives of pharmacology, 395(4), 407-415.
- Bernstein, P. S., Li, B., Vachali, P. P., Gorusupudi, A., Shyam, R., Henriksen, B. S., & Nolan, J. M. (2016). Lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin: The basic and clinical science underlying carotenoid-based nutritional interventions against ocular disease. Progress in retinal and eye research, 50, 34-66.
- Mohammed, H. A., & Khan, R. A. (2022). Anthocyanins: Traditional uses, structural and functional variations, approaches to increase yields and products’ quality, hepatoprotection, liver longevity, and commercial products. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(4), 2149.
- Mishra, V. K., Bacheti, R. K., & Husen, A. (2011). Medicinal uses of chlorophyll: A critical overview. Chlorophyll: Structure, function and medicinal uses, 177-196.
- Kaiser, A. E., Baniasadi, M., Giansiracusa, D., Giansiracusa, M., Garcia, M., Fryda, Z., … & Bishayee, A. (2021). Sulforaphane: A broccoli bioactive phytocompound with cancer-preventive potential. Cancers, 13(19), 4796.
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/your-brain-on-blueberries/
- Williams, C. M., Abd El Mohsen, M., Vauzour, D., Rendeiro, C., Butler, L. T., Ellis, J. A., … & Spencer, J. P. (2008). Blueberry-induced changes in spatial working memory correlate with changes in hippocampal CREB phosphorylation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 45(3), 295-305.
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