Damnit ... your mum was right. You must eat your greens!
You know you need your greens, but don't forget your reds, yellows, oranges, purples and blues. The easiest food rule to remember? Pile your plate with as many different colours as possible — the broader the mix, the better you'll look and feel.
Green
Broccoli: Packed with vitamin C, fibre and beta carotene, broccoli (as well as its cousins cauliflower, cabbage and brussel sprouts) contain cancer fighters called indoles. Raw is good, steamed is better as cooking releases more nutrients.
Sea vegetables: Eat sushi or toss pieces of nori into soups for extra beta carotene, plus iron, zinc and B12.
Bok choy: Chocca with vitamin C and iron, plus a calcium bonus for bones.
Spinach: A good source of lutein, which is an antioxidant which protects eyesight. Like other dark green leafy veg, spinach is a good pick for folic acid and beta carotene.
Peas: Ace for protein and iron.
Herbs: More than a garnish; parsley, mint, basil and rosemary are all rich in antioxidants.
Kiwi fruit: Litte fruit, but big on vitamin C — you'll get more than twice the daily RDI (recommended daily intake) in a single fruit.
Yellow
Turmeric: What flavours food may also fight cancer — the spice turmeric contains curcumin, an antioxidant shown in animal studies to fight cancer. Add it to rice or curries.
Sweet corn: Loaded with fibre, iron, and more of that antioxidant lutein for eye-sight protection.
Yellow capsicum: As well as vitamin C and beta carotene, capsicums contain flavonoids (compounds working in partnership with vitamin C) to keep blood vessels healthy.
Pineapple: Aka the bloat fighter. Along with vitamins and other nutrients, pineapple contains bloat fighting bromelain, an enzyme which helps you digest protein.
Orange
Dried apricots: They contain more iron than fresh apricots.
Sweet potato, carrot, pumpkin: Orange is a reliable sign of beta carotene, so eat at least one orange vegetable (or fruit) daily. Like broccoli, carrots release more goodies when cooked.
Pink grapefruit: Even more nutritious than it's yellow brother! And make sure you eat the white membrane between the segments too; that's got some pectin to help lower cholesterol.
Rockmelon: All melon is good, but rockmelon delivers the most beta carotene so add it to your salad.
Red
Tomatoes: If you eat these little treasures cooked with a little fat (a trickle of olive oil or a shave of parmesan) you'll absorb more cancer-fighting lycopene.
Radicchio: These salad leaves provide a folate boost for salad.
Strawberries: A delicious way to boost your vitamin C, folic acid levels, plus it contains a cancer fighter called ellagic acid thought to deactivate carcinogens before they can cause harm.
Red Delicious apples:: Who needs pills when you can eat an apple? One Red Delicious contains so many different plant chemicals that it has the antioxidant power of 1500mg of vitamin C.
Dark red/purple
Beetroot Eat raw (grate and add to salad) for more vitamin C, folate and potassium.
By Cleo Staff
