Tri-Colour Foods and their Health Benefits


As India heads towards the goal of becoming a developed country, it is very vital that we, being the citizens, must focus on becoming healthier. Mindful eating comprising a balanced diet with all the essential nutrients is indispensable for maintaining optimal physical and mental health. With the importance of eating nutritious and tasty food gaining ground and to keep with the theme of Indian Republic Day, let us know more about these Tri-Colour Foods and their health benefits.

Colour plays an important role in stimulating the appetite. So the more attractive and colorful the treat is the more likely it is to be consumed. The colours are all due to a variety of pigments, substances, and nutrients that are predominantly present in each of these. So when you consume a variety of colours, you ensure that you eat a cross-section of nutrients that fulfill your body’s dietary needs. Orange, white, and green colours not only represent the Indian national flag. These colours also signify quality nutrition and good health.


ORANGE COLOURED FOODS

Orange foods, a healthy aura contain a plethora of nutrients associated with orange colored fruits and vegetables, being beneficial to one’s overall health. The abundance of antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, and phytonutrients in orange foods are good for your skin, health, preventing cataract formation, macular degeneration, and heart and decreasing your risk of diseases. Good source of vitamin C, which is the only vitamin that the body does not naturally produce, and so needs an external source. They promote the body’s production of collagen, an important anti-aging component, and also balance the body’s pH levels. Orange fruits and veggies also reduce the risk of prostate cancer, fighting off free radicals in the body. Bone and joint health are also enhanced with regular consumption of these foods. They also balance blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

 Nutritional importance of ‘orange’ foods:

·         Sweet potato: They are high in beta-carotene, magnesium, fiber, potassium, and iron.

·         Oranges: They are considered as superfoods rich in Vitamin-C, Vitamin-A precursors, calcium, potassium, and pectin.

·         Mangoes: It has plenty of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. In addition to that, it is also a rich source of Vitamin-B6, Probiotic, Fiber, copper, potassium, and magnesium.

·         Papaya: Known to be a good source of Vitamin-A, Vitamin-C, Fiber, and antioxidants.

·         Pumpkin: Rich source of Vitamin-A, Fiber, and zinc.

·         Carrots: Good source of vitamin-A, Vitamin-C, and antioxidants.



WHITE COLOURED FOODS

White foods are high in carbohydrates, fiber; anthoxanthins in white foods can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol. They are also known to have anti-inflammatory benefits, potent with phytochemicals to reduce the risk of heart disease, allergic reactions, autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, act as an antibacterial and antiviral substance. The allicin found in garlic reduces blood pressure naturally and is a natural antibiotic. Good for healthy bone growth and development.

Nutritional importance of ‘orange’ foods:

·         Rice: Provides instant energy, improve bowel movements, and are rich in thiamin, zinc and magnesium.

·         Cauliflower: Excellent source of Vitamin-C, Vitamin-K, folate, pantothenic acid, Vitamin-B6, choline, dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, phosphorus, and biotin.

·         Milk: Rich source of calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, and protein.

·         Yogurt: Good source of protein, calcium, Vitamin-B2, Vitamin-B12, potassium and magnesium.

·         Tofu: Good source of protein and an excellent source of iron, calcium, minerals such manganese, selenium, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, zinc, and thiamin.

·         Mushrooms: Full of proteins, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antibiotics and antioxidants.

·         Radish: Rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid, potassium, Vitamin-B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper, and calcium.

·         White Beans: Rich source of protein and fibre, typically high in potassium, folate, Vitamin C and B6, calcium, and iron.

 


GREEN COLOURED FOODS

Green foods are a great source of phytonutrients and also have great healing powers. They are very low in sugars as they are packed with fiber and water in fact they are known to help in regulating the blood sugar levels throughout the day. Green fruits and veggies are the ultimate detoxifying agents and provide the much-needed iron. They are rich in chlorophyll, which is a natural way of combating oxidants in the bloodstream, and effectively neutralizing them. Greens are also the ultimate alkaliser (for example cucumber, bottle gourd, spinach) which balances the body’s pH levels and keeps acidity at bay.

Nutritional benefits of ‘green’ foods

·        Spinach: Excellent source of iron, Vitamin-K, Vitamin-A, Vitamin-C, folic acid, manganese,  magnesium, iron, and Vitamin-B2.

·          Okra: Good source of thiamin, B6, C, folic acid, riboflavin, calcium, zinc and dietary fiber.

·          Broccoli: Vitamin-C, Vitamin-K, and folate.

·          Cucumber: Rich in Vitamin-K, B vitamins, copper, potassium, Vitamin-C, and manganese.

·          Green Peas: Great source of Vitamin-K, protein, and manganese. They are a significant store of Vitamin-C that helps in supporting the immune system.

·          Avocados: Contain lutein, an antioxidant that protects eye health, and they’re rich in Vitamin-E.

·          Capsicum: Good source of many important nutrients, including vitamin C, beta carotene, folate, and Vitamin-K.

·          Green Moong: Packed with proteins and is also a good source of iron.

Eating healthy can become extremely challenging when your food looks boring. That’s the reason why our mouth waters when we see food that’s beautifully plated or generally looks beautiful. So to make your food look good, start this Independence Day by using colours in your meal - the colours of the tricolour.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Super Millets: Analyzing the Nutri-Potential

Image
  The world is witnessing the lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease, skin problems, cancer, celiac disease, etc. mounting swiftly due to the fast and faulty lifestyle prevalent today. Work stress coupled with digitization of the economy and high consumption of simple sugars, refined foods have contributed to inadequate nutrition levels and poor health. It is thereby crucial to re-examine our lifestyle and to adopt healthy dietary practices to enjoy a better quality of life. Millets can play a crucial role in this regard along with the incorporation of whole foods, less processed & refined foods in our daily diet. Nutritional Significance: Millets are popularly known as Nutri-cereals as they provide most of the nutrients required for the normal functioning of the human body. Each of the millets is three to five times nutritionally superior to the widely promoted rice and wheat in te...
Read more

Black Rice: An Exotic Super Food

Image
  Black rice, one kind of its kind rice, is getting more popular recently and is consumed as a functional food due to its usefulness to health. Black rice is also known as purple rice, forbidden rice, heaven rice, imperial rice, king’s rice, etc. Research has shown that black rice is considered the twenty-first-century superfood. It is the only rice to contain the antioxidant known as anthocyanins, which is found in dark-hued fruits and vegetables like blueberries, blackberries, dark grapes, dark cherries, purple brinjals, purple cabbage, and purple corn amongst others. Moreover, Chak-Hao, the black rice variety of Manipur bagged the  Geographical Indication (GI) tag .  It is normally eaten during community feasts and is served as Chak-Hao kheer. Chak-Hao has also been used by traditional medical practitioners as part of traditional medicine.   Nutritional Significance: Black rice contains essential amino acids like lysine, tryptophan; vitamins such as vitamin ...
Read more

White Foods: Nutrient rich or nutrient deficient

Image
  An ample amount of nutrients can be obtained by adding a diversity of colours to your diet. Processed and refined, white foods generally refer to foods that are white in color. Several of the white foods come from ultra-processed sources, such as refined grains and sugars, and can be easily replaced with more nutritious alternatives, including whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Meanwhile, many white foods are highly nutritious and can be used to support weight loss.  Instead, it’s best to focus on consuming whole, minimally processed foods and practicing moderation when consuming those that are less nutrient-dense. The difference between refined white foods and their healthier counterparts is the processing and fiber. Natural, unprocessed white foods, such as onions, garlic, mushrooms, cauliflower, white beans, and tofu are some examples of good white foods: Good White Foods:      White Onion & Garlic contains phytochemicals that help in the r...
Read more