A Guide to Eating by Color

“The 20+ Best Healthy Recipes Ever” explains how the pigments that give food color also have health benefits. Here, delicious recipes from white to black and every color in between.

White/Green

Foods: Garlic, leeks, onions, scallions.

Benefits: Contain allicin, which helps ward off cancer.

 Eat by Color: White Foods

Green

Foods: Bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale.

Benefits: Rich in compounds that help prevent cancer, like sulforaphane, isothiocyanate and indole.

 Eat by Color: Green Foods

Yellow/Green

Foods: Collards, corn, green peas (left), spinach.

Benefits: High in lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect the eyes.

Orange/Yellow

Foods: Oranges, papaya, peaches.

Benefits: Provide beta-cryptoxanthin, which may help prevent heart disease.

 Eat by Color: Yellow Foods

Orange

Foods: Carrots, mangoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes.

Benefits: Contain alpha carotene, which protects against cancer, and beta carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A.

 Eat by Color: Orange Foods

Red

Foods: Pink grapefruit, tomatoes, watermelon.

Benefits: High in lycopene, which eliminates free radicals that damage genes.

 Eat by Color: Red Foods

Red/Purple

Foods: Beets, berries, plums, red cabbage.

Benefits: Loaded with flavonoids, which can delay cellular aging.

 Eat by Color: Purple Foods

Black

 Eat by Color: Black Foods

 White to Black Dishes

Plus:

20+ Best Healthy Recipes Ever

Most Colorful Dishes

Red Cocktails

Orange-and-Black Halloween Dishes

Red, White and Blue Cocktails

Red, White and Blue Desserts

Red, White and Blue Foods

Published March 2009