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"What Color Is Your Diet?" provides a color guide to fruits and
vegetables and their benefits, as well as recipes to encourage an
increased intake of produce. Heber says that counting servings may not
be adequate if you are missing out on one or more major color
categories. Not all members of the fruit and vegetable group are alike.
They have unique properties that provide combinations of substances
with unique effects on human biology. Therefore, simply eating five
servings a day of fruits and vegetables will not guarantee that you are
eating enough of the different substances needed to stimulate the
metabolic pathways of genes in the different organs where fruits and
vegetables have their beneficial effects.
The colors represent 25,000 chemicals that are beneficial. There is
evidence that interaction between the colors provides benefits, so it's
important to have a diverse diet and eat different foods. We normally
eat three color groups on average in this country. Heber believes in
evolutionary terms, man started out on a plant-based diet.
Fruits and vegetables are historically and biologically important.
Our ancestors the hunter-gatherers ate over 800 varieties. The
different colors represent families of compounds, and we have even
selectively bred the colors we eat into an even narrower range. There
are red carrots in India, we eat orange ones. There are 150 varieties
of sweet peas, but only a few are available to us. We need to make an
extra effort to eat many different foods to get the full range of
benefits, he says
Heber groups produce into seven color categories:
Red Group
(tomatoes, can of V8 juice, pink grapefruit, watermelon)
These contain the carotenoid lycopene, which helps rid the body of
free radicals that damage genes. Lycopene seems to protect against
prostate cancer as well as heart and lung disease. Processed juices
contain a lot of the beneficial ingredients. One glass of tomato juice
gives you 50 percent of the recommended lycopene.
Yellow/Green Group
(spinach greens, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, yellow
corn, green peas, avocado, honeydew melon)
These are sources of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. These
are believed to reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular
degeneration. Lutein is a yellow-green substance that concentrates in
the back of your eye. It may also reduce atherosclerosis.
Orange Group
(carrots, mangos, apricots, cantaloupes, pumpkin, acorn squash, winter
squash, sweet potatoes)
These contain alpha carotene, which protects against cancer. They
also contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A.
It protects the skin against free-radical damage and helps repair
damaged DNA. Beta-carotene is also good for night vision. It's
important to note that these beneficial nutrients can be received from
other foods, too. For instance vitamin is found in dairy products and
meat. But it's not as beneficial because you get high calories and fat
along with it.
Orange/Yellow Group
(pineapple, orange juice, oranges, tangerines, peaches, papayas,
nectarines)
These contain beta cryptothanxin, which helps cells in the body
communicate and may help prevent heart disease. Also, an orange
contains 170 percent of the recommended daily vitamin C. It's
interesting to note that the skin of an orange is high in a protective
fat that has been found to kill cancer cells in humans and animals,
which highlights the fact that two-thirds of all drugs come from the
plant world.
Red/Purple Group
(beets, eggplant, purple grapes, red wine, grape juice, prunes,
cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, red apples)
These are loaded with powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins
believed to protect against heart disease by preventing blood clots.
They may also delay the aging of cells in the body. There is some
evidence they may help delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
Green Group
(broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, Chinese cabbage or bok choi, kale)
These contain the chemicals sulforaphane and isocyanate and they
also contain indoles, all of which help ward off cancer by inhibiting
carcinogens. It's a fact that ten percent of the population - like
George Bush Sr. - doesn't like broccoli. But it is important in diets
because of the beneficial chemicals it contains.
White/Green Group
(leeks, scallions, garlic, onions, celery, pears, white wine, endive,
chives)
The onion family contains allicin, which has antitumor properties.
Other foods in this group contain antioxidant flavonoids like quercetin
and kaempferol.
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