Color Your Plate … Red!!

All month long we show the importance of adding healthy vibrant color to your plate. This week, go red for health!

Red is the color of love, and you are definitely going to love the amazingly sweet (think cherries, strawberries, apples) and savory (think beets) fruits and vegetables that are some of the healthiest foods on Earth. Once you get started with the red foods, you will discover many more ways to prepare them right at your own home.

What Gives red fruits/veggies their red color?

Lycopene is a pigment that gives vegetables and fruits, such as tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon, their red color. It also appears to have strong antioxidant capabilities, with several studies showing that the consumption of foods rich in lycopene is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a member of the deadly nightshade family, and because of this were considered toxic at one time. They were thought to cause many health problems like appendicitis, “brain fever”, and even cancer. But in reality, they seem to have just the opposite effect. A Harvard University study with almost 50,000 men found that eating 10 or more servings a week of tomato products was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer by as much as 34 percent. And its benefits are not limited to the prostate.

• Italian researchers have found that those who consume more that 7 servings of raw tomatoes lower the risk of developing rectal colon or stomach cancer by 60 percent.
• Research has also indicated that the lycopene in tomatoes can help older people stay active longer.
• New research is beginning to indicate that tomatoes may be used to help prevent lung cancer.

There are many reasons that tomatoes are so healthy for you, but let’s just start with the basics. Tomatoes contain large amounts of vitamin C, providing 40 percent of the daily value (DV). They also contain 15 percent DV of vitamin A, 8 percent DV of potassium, and 7 percent of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of iron for women and 10 percent RDA for men. Though raw tomatoes are great for you, cooking them releases even more of the benefits. The heart healthy lycopene located in the cell wall of the tomato is fully released upon cooking. Even better, cooking the tomato in olive oil allows your body to absorb the lycopene more efficiently. Don’t worry about the availability of fresh tomatoes because they don’t lose any of their nutritional value when processed into canned tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Cherries

For decades, cherries slid by on reputation only. The tangy little orbs of deliciousness have been credited with an array of health advantages, from soothing gout and arthritis to helping with a good night’s sleep. Without hard data though, nutrition science dismissed these claims as old wives’ tales. Well I guess sometimes old wives know what they’re talking about.

“It was always anecdotal, but it’s been reported so frequently, by so many different people, that you have to think there may be something to it,” says Dr. Russell J. Reiter, professor of neuroendocrinology at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Reiter recently put some hard science behind the cherry folklore. He conducted a five-month study and found that tart cherries contain significant amounts of melatonin — a hormone produced in the brain’s pineal gland that has been credited with slowing the aging process, and fighting insomnia and jet lag. It’s also being studied as a potential treatment for cancer, depression and other diseases and disorders.

His findings marked the first time melatonin has been pegged as a naturally occurring substance in food, although trace amounts are evident in bananas, corn and other foods.

The most recent studies confirm that tart cherries reduce inflammation and its associated pain. Researchers also confirmed that tart red cherries offer benefits for patients with autoimmune, neurodegenerative and connective tissue diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. Studies show that tart red cherries reduce pain and inflammation and also offer protection against cancer. These effects are caused by plant phytochemicals known as anthocyanins, which can also help reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer as well.

Beets

Don’t forget about beets! One of the main healthy component of beets is something called betaine. Research shows that those consuming more betaine had much lower inflammation molecules (homocysteine, C-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor). These markers of chronic inflammation have been linked to heart disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Beets are amazing when roasted alone or with other root vegetables.