Slice of the Season

Slice of the Season

A Taste for Nutrition Using Natureís Color Wheel

My earliest and fondest childhood memories are of working in my Grandmaís vegetable garden. I often told my family ìwhen I grow-up, I am going to be a gardener.î Well I never became a professional gardener ñ I am not even a good amateur one – yet the planting and nurturing helped mold me into the vegetable lover I am today.

I know such phrases as ìa tomato is a tomatoî are indeed false. Close-to-home, fresh, plant-ripened produce is best for taste, the environment, and nutrition. Once picked, produce starts losing nutrients and healthful phytochemicals. The less storage and transport the better.

This summer give yourself a nutritional boost and savor fresh flavors by planting a garden ñ even if itís just one pot on the back porch!

All garden-fresh foods are unique and wonderful. So what do you choose? To get the most nutritious bang for your buck, simply use your senses. Think bright colors and strong flavors. Many disease-fighting phytochemicals are actually color pigments and flavor compounds. Two key examples are the carotenoids and flavonoids.

Carotenoids are wonderful for eye health, acting as antioxidants to fight cataracts and macular degeneration. They also protect against heart disease and many cancers. Some carotenoids turn to vitamin A in the body, an important nutrient for skin, bone health, vision, and immune function.

Flavonoids play essential antioxidant roles for fighting cancer. However, their superb ability to maintain heart and blood vessel health also contributes much to their stellar nutritional reputation.

Consider (by color) some of these phytochemical powerhouses for your garden:
Sources of carotenoids
Red – Fresh and canned tomatoes, watermelon, hot peppers, red bell peppers
Yellow/Orange – Pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, winter squash, cantaloupe
Green – Spinach, kale, broccoli, Brussel sprouts
Note: Canning (or cooking) helps the body to better absorb carotenoids and also concentrates the carotenoid content of foods. Lycopene – a red carotenoid – is found at its highest level in canned tomato products.
Sources of flavonoids
Red -Red cabbage, beets, red peppers, red onions, red potatoes, red radishes, strawberries, raspberries
Green – Spinach, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, green cabbage, parsley, thyme, hot peppers, green bell peppers
Blue/Purple – Eggplant (with skin)
White – Onions

So, donít forget to spin the color wheel for delicious and healthy meals! Whether you plant an ambitious backyard garden, tend a few pots on your patio or buy fresh at the co-op or farmerís market, keep it colorful this summer.