The meaning of plant colors.
A window into plant phytonutrients.
Here is a guide to plant colors.
A window into something I think is pretty miraculous, wonderful, and powerful: plant phytonutrients.
Which parts of the body do they support, and how do you prepare them so you get the most out of your groceries, CSA, or garden haul?
At the foundation of my herbal practice is an understanding and embracing of each human being’s innate intelligence. Our bodies and minds are equipped with the tools we need to be in the world. The most basic of these tools are our senses.
Humans have relied on taste, scent, touch, and sight for hundreds of thousands of years to help inform our food choices. Like many things, our senses' functioning runs on a spectrum. Some of us have 20/20 vision and lots of us don’t, part of the miracle of humanity is our variation. However, your senses function is what’s normal for you.
Plants come in a kaleidoscope of colors, and amazingly, each of those colors corresponds to the types of nutrition each plant offers. The nutrition comes from phytonutrients: substances in plants that contribute to the good health of humans. Phytonutrients or phytochemicals also benefit plants. These natural compounds give plants their colors and support their health by protecting them against pests and environmental stressors.
Red
Anthocyanins are like sunscreen for plants. Many plants sprout reddish new growth that helps protect the soft, young leaves from sun damage. Anthocyanins come in lots of colors, contributing to red, purple, blue, and black pigmentation. They are in a class of compounds called flavonoids- the largest group of phytonutrients - and protect against cells that impact poor health, plus support the heart and brain. Anthocyanins are responsible for red berries, apples, beets, cabbage, and onion coloration. Eating these foods raw and at their ripest will help maximize your intake.
Lycopene is a carotenoid that gives food the red and pink coloration seen in tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, red pepper, pomegranate, figs, and guava. You can take lycopene as a supplement, but it's most effective when consumed as a food. Cooking lycopene-rich foods in fat helps our body more easily absorb and access this phytonutrient. Lycopene protects the skin against damage and supports heart, brain, liver, and immune function.
Orange
Beta-carotene is extremely popular as far as phytonutrients go. And it’s responsible for the rich yellow and orange hues found in plants, and also the thing that gives margarine its color. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which supports eye, skin, heart, and immune system health. Beta-carotene is a great source of vitamin A because our body self-regulates the conversion, meaning we make only as much vitamin A as we need. Cooking carotenoid-containing fruits and vegetables like carrots in fat helps release the carotenoids from the food matrix and makes the nutrient more available to the body. So you could juice carrots all day and add as much ginger and turmeric as you want, but without heat and fat, you’ll be missing out on all those good phytonutrients. I love roasting or sauteing carrots in olive oil, coconut oil, or ghee.
Bioflavonoids are cool because they kind of sound like the name of a spaceship, and they’re water-soluble, which means you don’t have to cook them to get the most out of them. In fact, it’s better not to cook them. This is good news because oranges, tangerines, peaches, nectarines, and pineapples are super delicious raw. Even if I do love a pineapple upside-down cake and peach pie. Bioflavonoids work with vitamin C to protect your heart, support good vision, supple skin, and bone and dental health.
Yellow
Lutein is also a carotenoid that is found in the human eye. It protects the eye tissue from sun damage and functions as a light filter. It’s found in yellow and green foods like corn, avocadoes, kiwi, grapes, squash, kale, and zucchini. The body is better able to absorb this phytonutrient when it’s taken with fat. An avocado on its own, creamed spinach, corn pudding, and squash casseroles give your body the fat it needs to access the nutrition it wants.
Green
Glucosinolates are maybe the stinkiest phytonutrients, and they are responsible for giving Brassicas—or cruciferous vegetables—their sulfur-y smell. But the stink is important because it’s what your liver needs to clear toxins from the body. So, the best way to eat plants like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale is to cook them gently. Lightly steamed or sauteed, they help retain their full spectrum of nutrients. Glucosinolates impact how estrogen is metabolized and broken down in the body, contributing to optimal hormonal balance.
Blue/Purple/Black
Yes, wine has resveratrol in it because this polyphenol is particularly present in the skin of grapes. But it’s also in cacao, blueberries, and peanuts. Resveratrol positively impacts brain and heart health. Our body metabolizes resveratrol quickly, which makes it less bioavailable than some of the other phytonutrients in this list. But! Science suggests that piperine - an alkaloid present in black pepper - may slow the rate at which resveratrol is eliminated from the body. Regardless, I am not burdened by enjoying a larger bag of boiled peanuts during an afternoon at the lake this fall.
White/Tan/Brown
Allicin is an active phytochemical found in the allium family of plants: garlic, shallots, scallion, ramps, and onions. Garlic is by far the most concentrated and is made available when garlic cloves are freshly crushed or cut. Adding raw chopped or crushed garlic to sauteéd greens, salad dressings, and dips ensures your body can access the nutrient. Allicin supports cardiovascular function and the immune response.
Plants are functionally medicinal, and eating them - lots of them - is an important part of any herbal protocol. All non-animal edibles are rich sources of phytonutrients: mushrooms, seaweed, medicinal herbs, vegetables, fruits, spices, nuts, seeds, teas, and coffee.
Generally speaking, darker-colored plants are higher in phytonutrients, but even plants that are seemingly without color offer health benefits. So put all the rules and assumptions aside for the time being and consider an approach to food that follows one simple rule: eat a rainbow. Strive for 1-2 servings of each color per day.
Don't sweat if you don’t make it there every day. A 24-hour clock is a tool of…capitalism and is helpful for meeting deadlines and setting a bedtime, but your body is more aligned with the setting and rising of the sun than any machine on the wall or your wrist. And in general, it is often easier and less stressful to play the long game when it comes to our health. So, if it makes things lighter, think about constructing a rainbow over a week or a month instead.
thank you for being here and for reading.
What a fabulous job of breaking down the colors! I love this - thanks.