RED
Tomatoes, strawberries, cranberries, apples, red onions, pink grapefruit, watermelon, pomegranates.
Good for
• Protecting against heart disease, cancer and urinary infections.
• Red foods are among the richest sources of antioxidants called flavonols, which may protect against heart disease. Tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit are also important providers of lycopene – a pigment in plants thought to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, according to a report by the World Cancer Research Fund.
• Cooking or processing tomatoes is even better as it increases the amount of lycopene you absorb, so include tinned, pureed and cooked versions as well as raw.
• Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins – plant chemicals that may help prevent infections of the urinary tract by stopping harmful bacteria such as E.coli sticking to the bladder walls.
Smart ways to get more
Toss some red kanda into your salad, use tomato puree in sauces or have a daily glass of cranberry juice.
GREEN
Cabbage, cauliflower, peas, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, green peppers, peas, kiwi fruits. Sweet corn also fits in this group, even though you eat the yellow kernels, not the green husk.
Good for
• A strong immune system, healthy eyes and skin, plus protection against cancer and heart disease. Spinach, peas and sweet corn are rich sources of lutein – a pigment in the eye that filters out damaging UV rays. A recent study found that a high intake of spinach was associated with a substantially reduced risk of age-related blindness.
Filling up on greens, including kiwi fruit, will also give you plenty of immune-boosting vitamin C, also necessary for great skin, and folate – a B vitamin that protects against birth defects.
Green vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, sprouts contain glucosinolates, thought to protect against cancer by encouraging the self-destruction of pre-cancerous cells.
Smart ways to get more
Try the sweetcorn on pizzas, throw some asparagus in your sandwiches and subs, and have spinach soups. Check packaged soups for added salt to make a healthy choice.
ORANGE & YELLOW
Papaya, carrots, mangoes, sweet potatoes, oranges and peppers.
Good for
• Cancer and heart disease prevention, healthy skin and immunity. Orange fruits and vegetables are typically rich in alpha and betacarotene, which can help bolster our body's defences.
• Foods high in these nutrients are thought to reduce the risk of various gut and lung cancers, according to the World Cancer Research Fund.
• Betacarotene is also used by the body to make vitamin A, which is vital for eyes, skin and the health of mucous membranes in the nose and throat (so bacteria and viruses are less likely to penetrate).
• Orange citrus fruits are also a good source of vitamin C.
Smart ways to get more
Have a handful of chopped dried apricots with your breakfast cereal, use sliced carrots and peppers for a snack, serve baked sweet potatoes as a change from normal aloo. Drink orange juice with a meal.
WHITE
Onions, garlic, bananas, cucumber, celery, fennel and mushrooms.
Good for
• Lowering cholesterol, detoxing the body, preventing cancer, and keeping blood pressure healthy. Vegetables in the onion group contain sulphur compounds, which increase the activity of enzymes that remove toxic substances from the body.
• Sulphur compounds may also help to lower cholesterol and keep the arteries flexible, lowering risk of heart disease. White fruit and veggies are also good sources of potassium, which regulates blood pressure.
Smart ways to get more
• Make onion soup, bake onions as a vegetarian side-dish, add spring onions to salad and stir-fries. Spread celery sticks with butter and have them as a snack. Chop a banana over your breakfast cereal.
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