The Power of Red and Purple Foods: How Anthocyanin-Rich Fruits and Vegetables Boost Health with Antioxidants

Introduction

Fruits and vegetables come in all different colours and one colour that always intrigues me, mostly because of how many health benefits are linked to them (i.e. berries), is red/purple fruits and vegetables.

In this blog, we're going to talk about the plant phytonutrient, that determines one, the colour of these fruits and vegetables, and two, the role that phytonutrient plays in these fruits and vegetables' "health benefits."

Anthocyanins

Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants that belong to a class of naturally occurring chemical compounds in plants known as phytonutrients.

Anthocyanins are mainly found in red and blue (all the way to purplish and blackish) fruits and vegetables as this is the substance that gives them their distinct colour.

Examples are fruits and vegetables such as Grapes, Pomegranates, Figs, Red Cabbage and Kale(Red Russian), Tomatoes, Blackberries, Onions, raspberries, radishes, plums etc. Even 'nduma' (arrowroot) and reddish/purplish carrots!

By the way, my friend, when you find a vegetable like kale or carrots in your garden that is normally green and orange respectively, having a reddish or purplish hint on its leaves, stalk or stems, don't throw it away.

It is that way because it has a higher concentration of Anthocyanins than its family members (if we may call it that way) which is good because anthocyanins are antioxidants.

Even orange-to-yellow fruits like carrots and oranges contain a sub-group of anthocyanins known as carotenoids.

Raisins are dried grapes.

Dried fruits offer a more concentrated and nutrient-packed version of the same fruit. The lesser water content makes them seem sweeter and can therefore be used to sweeten your snacks and drinks naturally without compromise on nutrition.

Health Benefits of Anthocyanins

Anthocyanins are great at reducing inflammation & have a higher content of Vitamin C than go-to fruits and veggies like Oranges, Lemons and Limes.

Anthocyanins possess antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-obesity effects, as well as the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. because of how the range of nutrients and phytonutrients they possess work together to help various aspects of the body.

Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants.

Foods With High Concentrations of Anthocyanins

Answering this is rather simple. Simply put,

• The darker/ deeper the colour, the higher the anthocyanin content which means the higher the level of antioxidants.

• Another tip that I use is to look at whether the colour on the outside runs through the whole fruit. Such as in the case of oranges, beetroot, grapes, peppers, tomatoes and darker berries like blackberries etc.

The reason you should look at this is that some vegetables and fruits like onions, eggplants and radishes only have their colour only on the outer layer, meaning they have lesser concentrations of anthocyanins compared to fruits like tomatoes, beetroot and oranges.

So...

The darker and deeper the red, or the yellow, or the blue, or the purple, goes, the higher the anthocyanin concentration and thus the higher the level of antioxidants.

I.e. blackberries are more packed with antioxidants than strawberries, and red cabbage is more packed with antioxidants than regular cabbage.

This however does not mean that those other ones are bad but rather just that they have other kinds of phytonutrients and nutrients that aren't anthocyanins.

Berries like grapes and aggregate fruits like pomegranate are among the best sources of anthocyanins and therefore antioxidants making them among the most nutritionally packed fruits.

I believe with that you now you'll be able to shop and choose your fruits and vegetables smarter than last time!

To best learn about the role of anthocyanins as antioxidants in your body, check out this blog:

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