Contents
The meaning of food colors for health
WHY IS COLOR IN FOOD SO IMPORTANT FOR HEALTH?
What does color in food mean?
The color of food is a natural system of plants to attract the attention of predators, so that they consume the edible parts of the plant and then spread their seeds and reproduce the species.
In return, plant foods have nutritional and medicinal properties for the body, that are a source of energy and phytochemicals that the body needs to live.
The color of the food is determined by its composition. So, for example, purple foods are rich in anthocyanins. The green color indicates the presence of carotenoids and some are red because of pigment lycopene.
These plant substances have therapeutic effects in the body, They improve the health of the circulatory system, benefit liver function, protect vision, stimulate immunity, etc.
Theory of food Colors
” Let your food be your medicine and your medicine your food”.
This sentence of Hippocrates in the year 377 b.C. illustrates the undeniable importance of food for body health. This way of thinking has been for centuries the first medicine against diseases.
The ancient Chinese Medicine talks about the properties of color in foods through the various systems that make up the body. This explains that the body is composed of different organs and systems that must work in conjunction.
| Color theory according to the traditional Chinese medicine | ||
| Color | Organs | Taste |
| White | Lungs and Large intestine | Spicy |
| Orange-yellow | Stomach and Pancreas | Sweet |
| Red | Heart and Small intestine | Acid |
| Green | Liver and Gallbladder | Bitter |
| Black | Kidneys and Bladder | Salty |
The personal preference or appetite for one food or other is given by the energy requirements or nutritive requirements the body passes at a definite time. For example, pregnant women often feel fondness for strawberries:
Strawberries are red food that benefit the cardiovascular system and circulation (because during this period they must work harder to feed the fetus) and also are good for small intestine (because it increases its absorption capacity for more food). Nutritionally, strawberries are rich in vitamin C and folic acid, very important nutrients during pregnancy.
According to the Theory of colors, the red color of strawberries benefits our intestine and favors circulationBenefits of food for its colors
- Properties of white color in food
- Properties of yellow and orange color in food
- Properties of red color in food
- Properties of green color in food
- Properties of purple color in food
- Properties of dark color in food
TABLE OF THE MAIN COLOR FOOD BENEFITS
More information on properties of food colors.
