One of the hottest food trends of the year is that of purple foods. They are not just another beautiful addition to your plates, but they also provide a host of health benefits you may not have known about. Apart from aiding weight loss, boosting circulation and promoting healthier skin, experts have also linked the purple-coloured foods to reducing the risk of cancer, stroke and heart diseases with high nutritional density and high antioxidant levels.
So, what are purple foods? The fruits and vegetables purple in colour like blueberries, plums, purple cabbage, black currants, eggplant and purple grapes are called purple foods.
According to Dr. Sheela Krishnaswamy, a Bengaluru-based Nutritionist, 'Colours in a fruit or a vegetable reflect an important antioxidant in them. These foods have natural pigments that add certain health benefits to them. Dr. Sheela further explains, "Purple foods have this natural purple pigment called anthocyanin which acts as a powerful antioxidant. The more is the amount of this this antioxidant present in the food, the darker is its colour. It helps fight disease-causing free radicals and helps maintain a healthy body."
Food Strategist Swasti Aggarwal and Chef Nishant Chaubey list down the reasons why you must add purple foods to your diet.
1. Glowing Skin
One must load up on purple an blue foods for good skin. Blueberries, blackberries and plums are all rich in antioxidants, which combat free radical damage. Purple and blue fruits also reverses signs of ageing and makes your skin look younger for longer. Blackberry helps delay ageing. It is also beneficial for those who are facing hair fall issues.
The antioxidants in purple foods helps boosts skin
2. Aids Digestion
Purple sweet potato is loaded with anthocyanins, which promotes smooth digestion. It also protects your body against cellular damage.
3. Aids Weight Loss
Purple carrots are high in anthocyanins and pro-vitamin A carotenoids, which are powerful antioxidants and play a crucial role in weight management and glucose control. Purple foods one can add to their daily diet are purple cauliflower, black rice, purple asparagus, elderberries, acai, purple sweet potatoes, purple corn and cereal.
Purple carrots are high in anthocyanins and pro-vitamin A carotenoids, that aids weight loss
4. Heart Friendly
Black currants can lower 'bad' LDL cholesterol while raising 'good' HDL cholesterol. Resveratrol is one of the main components in purple foods that controls and stabilizes blood pressure. It is known to relax the heart and help in smooth blood circulation.
Black currants can lower 'bad' LDL cholesterol while raising 'good' HDL cholesterol.
5. Prevents UTI
Anthocyanin in vegetables including cauliflower, purple cabbages and purple carrots is responsible for fighting H.pylori, a bacteria that promotes stomach ulcers and urinary tract infections.
6. May Fight Risk of Cancer
Resveratrol present in purple grapes, bilberries, blueberries and cranberries is known to destroy cancer cells. It may also help in protecting you against the risk of cancer.
(Inputs IANS)