Darker Foods for Better Health

When it comes to food it is good to have a variety of colors. Yellow peppers, green broccoli, red strawberries, pink dragon fruit, and bright oranges are all nourishing, colorful foods. Surprisingly, the foods which are now being recognized most for their color are those of the darker variety-especially those which are black. For many cultures darker colored food has always been a staple, and for good reason.

Traditionally many Asian and Latin cultures have always incorporated black food into their diet. Black teas, black rice, blue corn, black beans, and red wine have always been popular in these cultures. According to Chinese medicine, dark foods nourish the blood and are characterized as a tonic for the kidneys. The kidneys are associated and connected with a persons energy channel and are believed to cleanse and revitalize the body&undefined;s tissues and organs while restoring energy levels and promoting well-being. In modern day Japan it has become somewhat of a trend to order foods which are darker in color such as black mushrooms, black vinegar, black soy, and black rice. When it comes to plant based foods, those which have a darker pigment are actually higher in antioxidants. Blackberries, blueberries, eggplant, and even black carrots have all been recognized for their high levels of cancer fighting antioxidants. The benefits from these dark foods come from anthocyanins which is the pigment which gives these foods their dark hue. The anthocyanins found in blue corn have actually been found to reduce inflammation and stop the spread of human colon cancer cells. Furthermore, black beans can prevent LDL cholesterol levels from rising.

Along with the numerous health benefits which black or at least dark foods can give, they may even help you lose weight. Give up your loaf of white bread for a dark rye loaf or your head of iceberg lettuce for dark colored kale or spinach and you will no doubt be reaping the benefits of a few pounds of weight loss along with a more nutrient filled diet.