Dear Nutritionist,
I have been trying to eat healthier this year and I want to know which veggies are the healthiest. I have read conflicting things about oxalates and phytates and etc and I want to know a general guide so I know what to eat! I know you give a different perspective so I wanted to ask you. Does it really have to be that complicated?
Thank you!
Amelia
Dear Amelia,
That’s a great question and as interest in nutrition grows with bloggers and “experts” everywhere I hear this type of confusion more and more. I think there are a couple reasons it’s so confusing right now. You see, nutrition is a relatively new science and until very recently it wasn’t an area of much growth. The growing epidemic of obesity and related metabolic diseases like diabetes has prompted the public to seek experts outside of the dietetic and medical establishment for nutrition advice. Citizens have become unhappy with the results of following the food guides that are promoted. This, in turn, has fueled scientific interest in, and funding of, nutrition sciences. In addition, until the last decade or so the masses did not have as many dietary options. With more imported foods and the growth of animal rights activism, as well as the globalization of the world and thus the import of various cultural cuisines, there has been an explosion of new foods and new diets to choose from.
As if this wasn’t enough, food manufacturers with millions of dollars now use this booming public interest in nutrition to market products as healthy via slick labelling and marketing campaigns, using words that connote health without actually delivering. For example, they create food products labelled heart healthy because they are low fat, despite the fact that they are loaded with corn syrup, which has been shown to impact heart health much more! Talk about a wolf in sheep’s clothing! All of this adds to the confusion about what is best. I agree with you. It’s very hard to sort through.
So let me do this: today let’s focus on general guidelines with regard to veggies and fruit. These are simple ways to identify the ones that are most healthy and beneficial. We will go into their colours and how that impacts our health, because colour tells us a lot about nutrient density.
Next week I will delve into the antinutrients that are in vegetables - only for those who find that they are unwell when they eat a normally healthy veggie-rich diet! I will go over how to tell if that applies to you next week. But this week, let’s look at the nutrients veggies and fruit offer!
So today we’re going to approach foods by colour. You see, colour tells us a lot about which nutrients vegetables and fruits contain and how nutrient dense they are. So this makes it super simple to know how to improve our health. As a general guideline, we want to have a variety of bright colours in our grocery carts and on our plates! What could be easier than that?
The Colours and What They Mean
1. Green
We are regularly told to eat more dark green leafy things but why? These foods get their colour from chlorophyll, which is how plants capture and convert sunlight into energy. Chlorophyll has a similar structure to heme in human blood, except the central iron atom is replaced with magnesium. So let’s call it the plant’s blood. But you may be surprised to know it isn’t actually well studied in human health yet. So the reason leafy greens are recommended isn’t chlorophyll. It’s because these plants boast a robust amount of vitamins and minerals, which we do know a lot about. Let’s go over a few leafy green to get the scoop on what they offer:
- Kale is rich in vitamins A, C, K, and B6, as well as calcium, potassium, copper, and manganese.
- Spinach is loaded with vitamins K, A, B2, C, and folate, as well as manganese, magnesium, and iron. It’s also a complete protein.
- Collard greens are rich in vitamins A, C, K, and B6 and also boast calcium, iron, magnesium, thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid, and choline.
- Dandelion greens are rich in vitamins A, C, E, K, and folate, as well as small amounts of other B vitamins. They also contain iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium in good amounts.
If you haven’t heard of vitamin K, it’s been identified for its importance in maintaining bone health. Dr Weston Price was the earliest nutritionist to have identified it. Spinach is one of the best sources. Other leafy greens include: swiss chard, rapini, mustard greens, endives, bok choy, and lettuces. 2.
2. Purples/Some Reds
Red, blue, and purple veggies (and fruits and flowers) get their colour from anthocyanin. You may have heard of this antioxidant when reading about the benefits of blueberries. It’s also abundant in tomatoes, figs, plums, prunes, cranberries, cherries, strawberries, grapes, blackberries, black currants, elderberries, purple potatoes, purple asparagus, red cabbage, purple peppers, eggplant, and red onion, purple carrots, purple kale, purple Brussel’s sprouts. Some of these veggies are naturally purple and others are created by selective breeding, which is different than GMO and far more natural. Some purple tomatoes are GMO, though, so be careful to check the variety. A simple search should tell you which one it is.
Antioxidants protect us from damage on a cellular level. They protect us from ageing and help our bodies handle toxins.
Many of these foods contain other nutrients like vitamin C, also. But the colour seems to dramatically impact nutrient density. Consider this: purple potatoes have 4x as many antioxidants as Russets; purple carrots have 2x the carotenoids as orange ones; and red cabbage contains 6x more vitamin C than the green varieties!
You might be wondering why beetroot isn’t on this list. While it’s loaded with nutrients, anthocyanin does not give beet its vibrant colour. Instead, beets get their colour from betalain pigments, which are also antioxidants. These pigments also give the purple colour to the tops of chard and rhubarb.
All around, purple is a great addition to your plate! But these fruits and veggies are best only lightly cooked, as anthocyanins are damaged by heat and light. Try adding them to a fresh smoothie or salad to get the most benefit!
3. Red/Orange/Yellow
Red and orange and yellow veggies and fruits get their colour from carotenoids, which are also potent antioxidants. These foods also usually contain ample vitamin C and potassium and some folate or vitamin K.
There are actually more than 600 varieties of carotenoids! One of these - Beta carotene - is converted into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is essential for night vision and clear, healthy skin. Carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, cantaloupes, apricots, and surprisingly - kale and spinach - are all good sources of beta carotene.
Some of the other more well known carotenoids are xanthophylls. You may have heard of two of these: lutein and zeaxanthin. These are particularly linked to eye health and also protect us from too much sunlight and too much blue light. So if you sunburn easily or spend a lot of time looking at screens, these are important nutrients to increase your intake of. Foods that contain these xanthophylls include kale, spinach, summer squash, egg yolks, fruits with yellow flesh, corn, pumpkin, and avocado.
Lycopene is also a carotenoid. You have likely heard of this one. It gives fruit and veggies their red colour and is found in tomatoes, watermelons, red oranges, pink grapefruits, rosehips, and guavas, to name a few.
Carotenoids arethought to impact everything from eye and skin health to susceptibility to sunburn, heart disease, and cancer. Unlike the above anthocyanins, carotenoids are fat soluble and are better absorbed if they are cooked. So cooking does not decrease the potency of this important nutrient!
The KISS Rule
If you haven’t heard of this rule, it’s rather easy. When in doubt, keep it stupid simple. This applies to nutrition. When we complicate things unnecessarily we can get overwhelmed and stuck. There is no need for the majority of people to limit their intake of colourful veggies!
I hope you find this helpful, Amelia. Eating a variety of colours is easy to implement and can have a big impact on our health. This week, if you’re feeling adventurous, dear readers, I suggest you try a new veggie from the market. Something bright that you’ve never tried before! You may be pleasantly surprised. And if you want to learn how to incorporate more veggies into your life via delicious recipes, send me a request and I’ll add you to my mail list for upcoming cooking classes. My sensational soups is running shortly, and after that we are going to do a global fusion class with friends from Spain and India. Next week we’ll discuss anti-nutrients.
As always, readers can find me online at askthenutritionist.ca. Reader questions and comments can be directed to [email protected].
Namaste!
Nonie Nutritionista
