motd Tuesday March 6, 2012

[Guest guest]

THE COLOR PURPLE

Tuesday, 06 March 2012

Most of you are probably thinking I'm gonna

talk about that wonderful movie by the same name

starring Whoopi Goldberg from 30 years ago. Or, if

you're from my hometown of New Orleans, you may think

I'm gonna discuss Mardi Gras, since purple is one of

that holiday's colors. But you'd be wrong on both

counts. Today, the color purple I'll be discussing is

all about...food!

Let's focus on foods that

come in the color purple.

I've told you before how important colorful foods are

to your weight-loss program and to your overall good

health. And not only are they good for your body but

those colorful foods look good on your plate, too. I

mean, come on, tell me the rich mixture of colors from

a bountiful salad don't get your appetite excited?

And here's some good news. That salad's not only good

for you but it's not going

to blow your weight-loss efforts, either. In fact, it's going

to help them! Now let's focus on the color

purple.

Purple fruits and vegetables contain anthocyanins.

(Glad I don't have to pronounce that for you, LOL.)

They're health-promoting chemicals that help protect

cells and heal your body. Research has shown that

anthocyanins play an active role in promoting eye and

heart health as well as decreasing cancer cell

growth. Now, let's talk about some of those wonderful

purple foods.

Eggplant belongs

to the family of vegetables that includes tomatoes,

sweet peppers and potatoes.

Eggplant. They belong to the family of

vegetables that includes tomatoes, sweet peppers and

potatoes and grow like tomatoes hanging from a vine.

(The eggplant can grow several feet in height.)

Eggplant are an excellent source of fiber,

anti-oxidants and also lower your body's LDL or bad

cholesterol.

Plumes & Prunes. Plums are an

excellent source of vitamins C, A, B2 and potassium.

They're also another great source of dietary fiber. A

recent study has shown that prunes may even help lower

your blood pressure.

Purple Cauliflower. (You can find it in many

larger supermarkets.) It's actually a type of

broccoli that starts out purple and turns green when

you cook it. It has antioxidant and sulfur compounds

that can help rid your body of the toxins that can

damage cells and increase the risk of cancer.

Purple Cabbage. Some people say red, some

say purple but it looks purple to me!

I think purple cabbage is one of the prettiest

additions to any salad. But those little purple

slivers not only look good alongside your other

colorful vegetables. Like its purple cousins, purple

cabbage is also rich in antioxidants, has a long list

of vitamins and demonstrates cancer-fighting

properties.

Purple Beets are one

of my favorites.

Purple Beets. They're

one of my favorites and I love them oven-roasted.

Those beets contain high amounts of vitamin C, which

by the way, is one of nature's most powerful

anti-oxidants. It also has high levels of potassium

which lowers the heart rate and helps regulate your

body's metabolism.

Now if you'll excuse me, looks like I've talked myself

into having a scrumptious, colorful salad for dinner

tonight. And while I'm munching, crunching and

enjoying that delicious salad, I think I'll watch a

movie. Hmmm, what shall I see? Oh, I've got it...The

Color Purple! (What else?)

Love,