Vegetables: sample the rainbow for your health

Vegetables are some of nature’s most delicious gifts. 

The variety of vegetables available to us is remarkable! Think of all the colors you see when you walk into the grocery store: bright red peppers; deep purple eggplant; dark green kale and vibrant orange sweet potatoes. Not only do the different colors of vegetables look pretty on our plate, but each color group provides us with different vitamins and nutrients that our bodies need.

 Let’s look at the vegetable rainbow and learn what each of these colors provides us with.

Dark Green:

Dark green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach are some of the healthiest and most beneficial vegetables we can eat. Dark green veggies also have high amounts of Vitamins A, C, and K. Many dark green vegetables are packed full of Calcium too! They are a great way for people who are lactose intolerant to get calcium from non-dairy sources. To help keep your family feeling healthy and lean, eat plenty of veggies that are colored dark green!

Yellow, Orange & Red:

Yellow, orange and red vegetables like carrots, tomatoes and sweet potatoes get their color from a pigment called “beta carotene”. Beta-carotene is a chemical that turns into Vitamin A inside our bodies. Vitamin A is important for healthy eyes and skin. It also helps protect us against infections. When you’re looking for some food to leave you healthy and fed, reach for brightly colored veggies: yellow orange or red!

Purple and Blue:

We often tend to forget about vegetables that are colored blue or purple mostly because there aren’t as many of them to choose from. Examples of blue and purple vegetables include eggplant and purple cabbage. There are color pigments in these vegetables that give them their beautiful, deep hue called “anthocyanins”. Say it with me: AN-THO-SIGH-A-NINS. Great job! It’s a big word that basically means “I’m blue or purple!” Eating vegetables in this color group can help us maintain proper memory function and promote healthy aging. And like the rest of the vegetables in our rainbow, they are full of fiber. Though there are not quite as many, they are still so good for you, so don’t forget to eat some veggies that are purple and blue!

Try your best to eat a variety of vegetables every day from as many of the color groups as possible. Find what’s on sale at the grocery store and plan your dishes around that.

We eat with our eyes as much as we do with our mouths, so make your eyes happy and add color to you plate.

Remember: “If you wanna keep your body feelin’ great, make sure that there’s a rainbow on your plate!” 

Contact Nutrition Agent Saundra Raines for more information at 435-7551. Also check out our web site at www.lsuagcenter.com/richland.