Eat Coloured Fruit And Vegetables by Jane Thurnell-Read

Colourful fruit and vegetables look good on the plate, but there are other important reasons to make sure you ring the colour changes in your meals.

Antioxidants are vital to our health and well- being. (I always think of them as the great anti-ageing secret much better than expensive creams and potions.)

Different coloured fruit and vegetables contain different antioxidants, and its vitally important that we have a full range of antioxidants, because they work in different ways in different parts of our bodies.

For example, some antioxidant molecules are too big to go through the gut wall so they work in the gut itself. Some antioxidants are water-soluble so can go where the fat soluble ones cant. Some work on the surface of cells and some work inside cells. Where do we want antioxidants to work? Everywhere in our body to help prevent damage and decay.

So don't just stick to green peppers, but buy red, yellow and orange ones too. Buy red grapes as well as green. Eat pumpkins and squash for their wonderful orange anti-oxidant properties, and dark green vegetables for their range of antioxidants.

Coloured vegetables also gives your skin  an atrractive, healthy glow. A research study  led by Dr Ian Stephen at The University of Nottingham shows that eating a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables gives you a more healthy golden glow than the sun. The research, which showed that instead of heading for the sun the best way to look good is to munch on carrots and tomatoes, has been published in the Journal Evolution and Human Behaviour.

Theres more on antioxidants in this article.

Check out our info about fruit smoothies. Try some of our free vegetable recipes.