Colorful choices make good choices

The vitamins and minerals in food of certain colors

Red foods

Reds and bright pink foods add lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, to your diet. Lycopene can be found in tomatoes, grapefruits, watermelon, papaya, and guava. Lycopene is being studied for its ability to fight heart disease and some cancers.

Greens foods

Green foods are rich in phytochemicals that help keep you healthy. Carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, found in spinach, kale, and broccoli, are being studied for their ability to keep your retina strong. Vegetables like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and turnips may reduce the risk of cancerous tumors.

Orange and yellow foods

Orange foods like sweet potatoes, mangoes, carrots, and apricots contain beta-carotene, a natural antioxidant being studied for its role in enhancing the immune system. Orange food is also rich in vitamin C and vitamin E. Yellow foods have many of the same benefits as orange foods.

Blue and purple foods

Anthocyanins, a photochemical responsible for the blue hues in foods like blueberries, is being studied for its role in defending the body against carcinogens.

White foods

White foods like onions, garlic, chives, and leeks contain the photochemical allicin, which is being studied for its ability to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and increase the body's ability to fight infections.