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Vegetables
Excerpt taken from, Food: What The Heck Should I Eat? by Mark Hyan, MD
What we still don't know for sure,
We're just beginning to understand the role of food as medicine, and how exactly the chemicals in plants interact with our own cells and those in our microbiome. We've all been told that our genes are our destiny. But that's not entirely true. Studies show that your genes can be turned on or off by the foods you eat. This is referred to as the science of nutrigenomics. There's evidence that the plant RNA may regulate our own DNA, an extraordinary thing to contemplate. It means that there may come a time when you'll know precisely which plants you need to eat to maximize your health and protect against disease.
Seven things you need to know about vegetables
1. Eat the Rainbow
Vegetables and fruits use their colors to signal which beneficial substances they contain. Red means one thing, yellow another, purple something else. The colors attract the insects and animals that will disperse the plant's seeds; these are the same chemicals- phytonutrients- that give flowers their colors. It's the language of the plant kingdom, and we would do well to learn it because each color represents a different group of healing compounds.
Did you know that our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate more than 800 varieties of plants? That's how they got so much fiber each day. Because they foraged far and wide, they typically ate a range of wild plants of all different colors. In other words, they ate the rainbow, and you should too. Think of that next time someone hands you a plate of pale, white mashed potatoes or iceberg lettuce salad.
Our ancestors didn't have drugs or pills. They ate their medicine in the form of plants. In general, the more colors you eat when it comes to plants, the more anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, healing compounds from the phytonutrients you'll soak up. Some of these colors even work together synergistically to have a more powerful effect, which is another reason you should eat a diverse array of veggies. Though these are not "essential" like vitamins and minerals, without them you will age and die faster.
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So what do all those colorful nutrients mean? Here's how to read the rainbow:
RED: Indicates the carotenoid lycopene in tomatoes, bell peppers, and carrots. Lycopene protects against heart disease and genetic damage that may cause cancer.
BLUE-PURPLE: Is caused by anthocyanins in eggplant, beets, red cabbage, and purple potatoes. Anthocyanins prevent blood clots, delay cell aging, and may slow Alzheimer's onset.
GREEN: Is found in the brassicas- broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards, arugula, and others- indicates phytochemicals, sulforaphane, isocyanates, and indoles, which inhibit carcinogens and boost detoxification.
PALE GREEN-WHITE: Appears in garlic, onions, leeks, and other vegetables and alliums and is caused by allicins, which have powerful anticancer, antitumor, immune-boosting, and antimicrobial properties. These vegetables also contain antioxidant flavanoids like quercetin and kaempferol.
ORANGE: Represents alpha-carotene and beta-carotene in carrots, pumpkin, acorn and winter squash, and sweet potatoes. Alpha-carotene protects against cancer and benefits skin and vision.
YELLOW-GREEN: Signals the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which benefits our eyes and safeguard our hearts against atherosclerosis. Vegetables in this group may not always appear yellowish to the eyes. They include spinach, collard, mustard, and turnip greens, yellow corn, pease and even avacado.
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