Put More Purple in Your Diet and Boost Your Health

Did you know that eating more purple foods can strengthen your health?
Whether you decide to add purple potatoes or purple cabbage, more purple in your diet is a strong step toward well-being.  
Learn more about purple foods and how you can best use them to boost your health:

1. What are purple foods? Purple in the food industry can be defined as everything from deep shades of violet to light lavender.

• Vegetables include eggplant, purple cabbage, purple potatoes, purple carrots, purple endives, and purple asparagus.
• There are also purple fruits such as plums, prunes, raisins, currants, and grapes. Although some would argue about the color, blueberries and blackberries are frequently added to the purple list.

2. One of the main reasons you want to add more purple foods to your meal plans is because of antioxidants. Foods that have purple pigments in them tend to have higher levels of antioxidants.

• Antioxidants help fight free radicals and cell damage in your body. They’re also important for cancer prevention and can help you look younger.

3. Flavonoids and polyphenols. Purple foods are known for having a lot of flavonoids and polyphenols.

• These compounds help fight cancer and inflammation in the body. They also reduce blood pressure and improve circulation. Studies show that these compounds may play a role in killing cancer cells.

4. Other health benefits. Studies continue to show that purple foods have a variety of health benefits:

• They can help your body absorb nutrients, so you avoid malnutrition or deficiencies.
• They can lower cholesterol and boost the immune system. Purple foods may also help the digestive system, since research shows they can help those with ulcers.
• Studies also reveal that purple foods may help prevent urinary tract infections and obesity.
• A report from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) reveals that adding more purple fruits and vegetables can help prevent diabetes in some cases.

5. Adding more purple foods to your meals. Consider these ideas:

• Buy purple grapes instead of green ones.
• Add blueberries and blackberries to your oatmeal or cereal instead of strawberries. You can also add these berries to muffins and other baked goods.
• Eggplants can be added to casseroles or cooked in other ways.
• You can make purple coleslaw with purple cabbage. This is also a fun way to add purple carrots.

6. Purple diet cautions. The purple diet is a fad that requires you to eat nothing but purple foods for three days. This diet is popular among some celebrities who believe the antioxidants and other compounds will help them stay young.

• Although adding more purple fruits and vegetables to your meals is a healthy move, you don’t want to eliminate all other foods. Experts share that it’s crucial to have a balance of colors on your plate.
• Although the purple diet is high in antioxidants, you may not get enough of other essential nutrients, such as fat or protein.

Boost your health with purple foods! Purple foods can be found in your local grocery store, so it’s easy to add them to your diet. Experiment with different recipes until you find your favorites.