Why do fruits and vegetables have color?
EAT THE RAINBOW: WHY COLOR MATTERS IN YOUR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES Color seems to make everything better, doesn’t it? A pop of color can brighten up a room, complete an outfit or make your meal more appealing – especially for kids. While the benefits may seem simply visual, when it comes to your dinner plate, adding color is doing more than making it a feast for the eyes. The colors in fruits and vegetables come from their naturally occurring nutrients. They play many roles, but in general they function as a defense mechanism to help plants survive and reproduce. Why do colors matter? For humans, a diet rich in those plant nutrients has several health benefits. “That’s why we think diets rich in plant foods provide people with a high degree of benefits,” said Dr. Keith Randolph, a fellow with Amway Global Discovery. Those plant nutrients are called phytonutrients, and they have names like quercetin, proanthocyanidins and isothiocyanate, each of which provides differ...