When talking fruit and veg, the government advises that we eat ‘Five a Day’. That’s certainly a good start, but if I was the Prime Minister I’d change that to ‘Five Colours a Day’. That way we’d hopefully find ourselves eating more than five different kinds of fruit and vegetables daily, but it would mean we’d also benefit from the additional health-promoting properties of eating naturally pigmented food.
Natural food pigments, known technically as carotenoids, are one kind of an important class of disease-fighting biochemicals with a very suitable (but coincidental) name: phytochemicals! Acting as antioxidants and immune response boosters, these chemicals are believed to be very important in providing protection against cancer and heart disease.
Listed below are some commonly available colourful fruit and vegetables and some of the benefits associated with their pigments.
| Pigmented Fruit & Vegetables | Benefits | |
| Red | Beetroot, cranberries, pomegranate, tomatoes | These foods are a source of Vitamin A and the antioxidant lycopene. |
| Yellow / White | Parsnips, turnip, celeriac, chestnuts, garlic | These foods are a good immune boosters and sources of calcium and iron. |
| Green | Cabbage, pears, leeks, Brussels’ sprouts | These contain chlorophyll, which is very important in cleansing the blood. |
| Orange | Butternut squash, pumpkin, oranges, swede, peaches | These are great sources of vitamins A and C. |
| Blue / Purple | Blackberries, blueberries, aubergine, ‘red’ cabbage | These foods provide folate, potassium, and vitamins A and C. |
If you’d like to try an exceptionally colourful, extremely health-promoting recipe, you’ll just love the following one for Roasted Vegetables.
Ingredients
| Garlic | 1 clove |
| Rosemary | 1 large sprig |
| Olive oil | 2 tablespoons |
| Parsnips | x2 |
| Chestnuts | x8 |
| Leeks | x1 |
| Butternut squash | x1 |
| Carrots | x2 |
| Potatoes | x4 |
| Red onion | x2 (cut into eighths) |
| Orange | Grated zest |
| Ginger | ½ teaspoon, grated |
Directions
Cut all vegetables into chip-sized pieces and place in a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, crushed garlic, rosemary, orange zest and grated ginger. Place in a pre-heated oven at 180˚C to 200˚C and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
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