Vegetarian Diet

Lesson 1: Nutrition

Colors and Sources

You've probably seen the 5 A Day Better Health signs displayed in the produce section of your supermarket. The 5 A Day Better Health Program is a national campaign guided by The 5 A Day Partnership committee, which has representatives from eight health services, among them, the National Cancer Institute, USDA, and Centers for Disease Control Prevention. Their goal is to increase fruit and veggie consumption to 5 servings a day for at least ¾ of Americans by 2010.

Fruits and vegetables come in many different colors and contain powerful antioxidants called phytonutrients. The carotenoids and anthocyanins that provide the color for these foods contain health-enhancing nutrients that protect against heart disease and cancer, and also improve our sense of balance, our memory, and other cognitive skills. Phytonutrients are concentrated in the skins of fruits and vegetables, and generally, the deeper the color, the greater the nutritional impact.

Cruciferous vegetables are especially rich in phytonutrients that are thought to have particular qualities to aid in lowering some cancer risks. Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, turnip greens, and radishes.

Below we will learn the five basic color groups, the role they play in our health, and some sources.

Blue/purple – aids in urinary tract health, memory function, and lowers risk of some cancers. Sources include blackberries, blueberries, plums, purple grapes, figs, raisins

Green – benefits vision health, strong bones and teeth, and lowers risk of some cancers. Sources include green apples, green grapes, honeydew, kiwi fruit, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, celery, leafy greens, lettuce, okra, green peas, spinach, green beans

White – maintains healthy cholesterol, lowers risk of some cancers. Sources include bananas, brown pears, cauliflower, garlic, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, white corn, turnips

Yellow/orange – promotes heart health, good vision, strong immune system, lowers risk of some cancers. Sources include apricots, cantaloupe, grapefruit, pineapple, oranges, papayas, squash, carrots, yellow melon, pumpkin, yellow peppers, corn, sweet potatoes

Red – promotes heart health, memory, urinary tract health, lowers risk of some cancers. Sources include cherries, red apples, red grapes, strawberries, watermelon, red grapefruit, tomatoes

As we seek to add more fruits and vegetables to our diets we should include at least one serving from each color group, as well as one or more raw foods each day.

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