I thought I would start off with something fun as my first blog for 2024. 

Those who know me, know my favourite colour is purple, and recently an article caught my eye around purple foods. Yippee, now I can truly absorb myself in purple and eat it too.

Purple foods include, purple carrots, purple cabbage, eggplants, purple onions, purple corn, purple potatoes, beetroot, purple grapes, purple berries, purple broccoli, and cauliflower.

Ironically, I discovered when you cook some purple foods including broccoli and potatoes, they tend to turn back to the traditional colours rather than maintain their purple colour. Many of these foods do not taste any different from their traditional cousins, and personally I think some taste even better. For example, I prefer using purple onions and cabbage over their traditional counterparts, and we tend to use these in our day-to-day cooking.

So, why am I writing about purple foods? Well, we all know that fruits and vegetables are great low energy foods, whiles also being higher in fibre, vitamins, & minerals. Fruits and vegetables are also great sources of phytochemicals, and these phytochemicals possess strong antioxidant activities.

Antioxidants are important for us, as they reduce the process of oxidation in the human body. Oxidation damages cell membranes, which can lead to diseases, including heart and liver disease, and some cancers including mouth, stomach, and bowel cancers. 

Anthocyanins is the phytochemical in purple foods that is responsible for the colours, red, purple, and blue. Anthocyanins can have anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-obesity effects, they can also provide support in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables that provide anti-inflammatory benefits can be really helpful in supporting the treatment and management of endometriosis. Foods that can assist in reducing oxidative stress and have an antidiabetic, anticancer, or anti-obesity effect can be great for women who are wanting to get pregnant or are already pregnant.

So, by adding a few purple fruits and vegetables to your meals, not only do they look great and add a bit of colour to your plate, but they also have fantastic health benefits for you, regardless of your age and stage of life.

If you would like to know more about antioxidants, increasing fruits and vegetables, or how to include more purple foods in your diet, contact BWC on 5332 9940 to book an appointment with me.

Written by Rachel Jeffery, Dietitian