People have always favored brightly colored foods. This is not only because they add a splash of color and beauty to the dishes on the dining table, but more importantly, they please the eye and stimulate the appetite!
There are thousands of food varieties in the world, each with a vibrant color, and nutritionists classify them into five major categories.
White: Rice, flour, and others. They provide the human body with more than ten types of nutrients such as starch, protein, and vitamins. After digestion and absorption, they sustain life and physical activity, but they often lack certain essential amino acids required by the body.
Red: Red rice, red beans, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, red chili peppers, red dates, red apples, and various poultry, livestock, fish, and shellfish. Scientific research suggests that most red vegetables contain beta-carotene. Together with other red pigments in red foods, beta-carotene can enhance the activity of cells in human tissues. Therefore, consuming more red foods can improve the body's ability to prevent and resist colds. The common sayings, "Eat three dates a day and you'll never look old," "Have sweet potatoes in your meal for a rosy complexion," and "Eat a chili when you feel cold, and a cold will naturally disappear," are all vivid summaries of the health benefits of red foods. Red foods from fish and meat are excellent sources of high-quality protein, fat, many inorganic salts, and trace elements.
Green: Various fresh green vegetables, fruits, and legumes, such as celery, bok choy, chives, mustard greens, spinach, green peas, mung beans, and green apples. They provide various vitamins and dietary fiber, which directly regulate many of the body's physiological functions, such as vision and immunity.
Yellow: Soybeans, peanuts, and others. They are rich in plant protein and unsaturated fatty acids, making them excellent high-protein, low-fat foods, especially suitable for middle-aged and elderly people with high blood lipids.
Black: Black rice, black sesame seeds, black fungus, black buckwheat, black bread, black soybeans, black grapes, black pine nuts, black mushrooms, and black-bone chicken, cuttlefish, kelp, and fat choy. Modern medicine believes that black foods are not only rich in nutrition but also have health-preserving, beautifying, anti-aging, and longevity-enhancing functions, earning them the name "longevity foods." For example, black rice contains many amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that the human body cannot synthesize naturally, and is said to nourish yin, strengthen the kidneys, invigorate the spleen and warm the stomach, promote blood circulation, and improve eyesight. Black sesame seeds have an oil content of over 50%, the highest among grains, and are also rich in protein, calcium, and iron, making them particularly effective for nourishing the liver and kidneys and for preserving youth and fighting aging. Black fungus has the special function of moistening the lungs, cleansing the gastrointestinal tract, and helping to digest fibrous substances.
A special note: Some people in the market cater to the public's preference for colorful foods by adding artificial pigments to foods that are naturally less vibrant. For example, candied haws on a stick, white steamed buns, and some water-soaked dried vegetables and seafood at farmers' markets are also soaked in inedible chemical dyes. These artificial synthetic pigposes a serious threat to human health, especially the health of teenagers. Therefore, when purchasing, be sure to distinguish between authentic and artificial products!
In addition, the essential nutrients required by the human body cannot be found in any single food. Only by having all five colors of food on the table and pairing them scientifically can one obtain a balanced and reasonable diet, which is the key to improving the body's overall health.