The purple color in food mainly comes from anthocyanins. The nutritional characteristics of purple foods are also given by the very strong antioxidant and antibacterial abilities of anthocyanins.
There are many claims that purple foods help in cancer prevention, relieve visual fatigue, blurred vision, eye pain, photophobia, and dryness, prevent and alleviate urinary tract infections, and also help in preventing stomach ulcers.
Nutritionists say that "antioxidant" is not always an angel. Excessive antioxidant effects can actually be a form of stimulation and sometimes become a devil. For example, friends with poor gastrointestinal function, especially those with stomach ulcers, should not eat too many purple or other antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, as they can easily irritate the gastric mucosa and may worsen the condition.
The term "antioxidant" has long been equated with "anti-aging," but their actual meanings are quite different. After being passed around, it has been somewhat overly mythologized. No single food or food of a single color can meet the complex and delicate regulatory mechanisms and needs of the human body. We should still follow the dietary principles of food variety, balanced pairing, and moderate consumption.
▲ Add a little vinegar when eating purple vegetables
Unlike fruits, purple vegetables often need to be cooked before eating. To maximize the retention of nutrients, first, avoid soaking them for long periods, and second, add some acidic vinegar or lemon to make the anthocyanins turn into a more stable purplish-red color.