Food chromotherapy: Why we should be eating different colored foods
The colors present in food add a variety of phytochemicals and nutrients to our diet. To understand this in detail, we touched base with Shweta Dhyani, a New Delhi-based ayurvedic diet and nutrition coach. She says, "The more colors you add to your diet, the less you have to depend on medicines to fulfill your daily needs of micro and macronutrients."
Yellow foods
Yellow foods like bell peppers, mangoes, and lemons get their color from phytochemical carotenoids. They are rich in beta-carotene and are a good source of vitamin C. Nutrition coach Dhyani says, "The yellow color present in lime and guava is good for indigestion, constipation, kidney disorders, eye, and throat infections." Additionally, yellow-colored foods are suitable for detoxifying the liver and gallbladder.
Red foods
Red fruits and vegetables get their color from phytochemicals anthocyanine and lycopene. While anthocyanine is known for its antioxidant properties, lycopene has cancer-fighting agents. According to Dhyani, "The red color in beet, radish, tomatoes, and berries is ideal for low blood pressure and anemia." Red foods also contain a large number of flavonoids, which have anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties
Purple foods
The color purple present in certain fruits and vegetables reduces hunger because they are perceived as less appetizing. Phytochemicals anthocyanin and resveratrol give them a purple color. Purple foods are rich in magnesium and other elements important for brain function. "Purple cabbage and lettuce leaves are beneficial for severe constipation, migraine, stomach issues, and skin problems," says Dhyani.
Green foods
At the level of perception, green fruits and vegetables give stability and calm our voracity. They get their color from chlorophyll and contain magnesium and carotenoids like lutein. These nutrients are useful in preventing tumors and are good for eyesight, the nervous system, and blood pressure. "Spinach, pea, lettuce, gourds, and amla are good to treat ulcers, weak eyesight, colds, and influenza," mentions Dhyani.
Orange foods
Orange foods such as carrots, oranges, pumpkin, butternut, peach, and mango also contain carotenoids, which are the source of their color. Carotenoids have several medicinal benefits - they reduce inflammation, build a strong immune system, and maintain your eye health among others. Dhyani says, "The orange color in certain fruits and vegetables is good for people having kidney and gallstones."
