Colourful Cuisine

Supplements vs. fresh food

A vitamin pill or a similar supplement will provide specific nutrients but getting the same supply from fresh foods is better. For starters, some vitamins are only efficiently absorbed by our bodies when others are already present. Fresh foods are more likely to provide the requisite combination for maximum effect.

It's a bit like listening to a soloist or the entire symphony orchestra. When all the instruments play together, the result is better for your body. And you're less likely to miss out on an important ingredient if you're eating a healthy combination of foods.

Generally speaking, eating the whole fruit is better than drinking the juice too. Where possible and sensible, you'll gain more nutrients by giving fruit a wash and eating the whole lot, skin and all, than if you peel it and throw it in the juicer.

Intensity of colour

The intensity of colour can be relevant too. When it comes to the redness of a tomato for instance, more ripeness means better colour and, generally, more nutrition to be gained from fruit from that plant.

When contrasting different varieties of a type of vegetable colour comes into play again. A pale juicy Iceberg lettuce provides less nutrients than the darker Cos lettuce variety.

If we reshuffle the rainbow with a focus on antioxidants, here are some of the foods that will put colour in your cheeks.

Red foods

Tomatoes (and that includes the paste, sauce, soup and juice), watermelon and pink grapefruit provide ‘lycopenes' which, among other duties, help deal with bad cholesterol.

Red-purple/blue food

Red grapes (fruit, juice, wine), prunes, cherries, plums, strawberries, cranberries, blue/blackberries, red peppers, beets and eggplant offer ‘anthocyanidins' and ‘flavinoids' which are natural anti-inflammatories and help fight viruses. They're also good for your heart.

Orange foods

Pumpkins, sweet potato, carrots, mango, apricots and cantaloupe deliver beta-carotene which lowers cholesterol, helps the heart and is believed to fight cancer.

Orange-yellow foods

Oranges (fruit, juice) peaches, pineapples, papaya, nectarines, lemons and yellow grapefruit provide the flavinoids ‘lutein' and ‘zeaxanthin' which are antioxidants that work together to protect eye-sight and are reported to also benefit cardiovascular and gastric diseases.

Yellow-green foods

Corn, peppers, bananas, avocados and peas serve us up with zeaxanthin.

Green foods

Broccoli, spinach, bok choy and brussels sprouts offer vital folic acid and ‘ithiocyanatyes'. Low levels of folate have been implicated in a number of different disorders ranging from Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementia and depression, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, cervical and colon cancers. Isothiocyanates, particularly in brussels spouts and broccoli, have received recent attention for their cancer-fighting abilities.

White-green foods

Garlic, onions, spring onions, leeks, asparagus, pears, artichokes, mushrooms and white wine prove beige isn't boring by delivering up flavinoids and allicin. Allicin has been reported to lower blood cholesterol and confer a protective effect against cancer development and progression, as well as having antioxidant activity, which would reduce the risk of cancers and cardiovascular disease, and benefit general immunity.

So pile your plate up with colour. Not only will it please the eyes but the rest of the body too.

Overall wellness begins with cell-to-cell communication which promotes optimal health throughout your body. The Mannatech Optimal Health System is designed to deliver the nutrients, including glyconutrients--or plant-based monosaccharides--that your cells need to "talk" to one another and to support your immune system. The Optimal Health System protects your cells with antioxidants, nourishes your body with vitamins and minerals and supports your hormonal systems to keep your body in balance. Choose the option that is right for you for total wellness!