Enjoying a Rainbow of Produce – Blue and Purple Fruits and Vegetables

Blue has always been associated with honesty and purple with royalty. Combine them into one group of fruits and vegetables and you have ‘truly’ created the ‘king’ of wellness.

The deep-toned peel of blue and purple fruits and vegetables helps shield them from being damaged by the intense rays of the sun. Their rich hues not only protect precious produce, they hinder free radicals from harming humans.

Although they are separate compounds and found in different foods, anthocyanins and phenolics basically perform the same miracles – reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease and alzheimers. They also have been shown to prevent cellular damage and to slow down the aging process.

The greatest thing about blue and purple fruits and vegetables – there’s always something delicious to make with them year round. Featured below are nutritious blue and purple fruit and vegetable recipes for all to enjoy.

Anthocyanins

Purple Cabbage – http://cookingfortwo.about.com/od/vegetablesandsidedishes/r/redcabbage.htm

Blueberries – http://www.marthastewart.com/355053/blueberry-jam?czone=food%2Fproduce-guide-cnt%2Fsummer-produce-recipes&gallery=275045&slide=355053&center=276955

Purple Grapes – http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/grape_chutney.html

Phenolics

Plums – http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/roasted_plums.html_0

Eggplant – http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Olive-Oil-Roasted-Eggplant-with-Lemon/Detail.aspx

Raisins – http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/michael-symon/steak-sauce.html

Next week, we’ll discover how white fruits and vegetables bring surprising nutritional benefits to your diet.

Sources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9828775

http://www.naturalnews.com/031891_anthocyanins_cancer_prevention.html

http://scdlifestyle.com/2010/04/phenols-and-salicylates-what-they-are-and-why-it-matters/

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/fruit-and-veggie-color-list