About a week ago, I saw an inscription that read, ‘Pineapples do not grow on trees’ on a Facebook page. Out of curiosity, I scrolled down and I saw a lot of hilarious comments about ways people assume different plants are grown on the farm.
This reminded me of something that happened this year. We have a tree of Xylopia aethiopica in our home. So, about two months ago, I decided to put pictures of some of its freshly harvested fruits on Facebook. Everyone kept saying, “I have never seen the fresh one before.”
That reaction hit me so hard. The question that kept ringing in my head was, ‘How come no one has ever seen the fresh fruit of a spice grown in this clime?’
The first time I ever saw fresh pods of Aframomum melegueta (alligator pepper), I loved it. It was in a farmers’ market where fresh farm produce is sold. The oval-shaped and reddish fruit (pod) was a beauty to behold!
That day, I was lucky to see fresh fruits of Piper guineense known as ‘iyere’ in Yoruba and ‘uziza’ in Igbo.
You will not know the beauty of all these plants because it is the already sun-dried ones that are sold in the market. For example, the alligator pepper pods you are familiar with are brown due to drying. If you ever set your eyes on fresh alligator pepper pods, the colour will amaze you!
Be close to nature. Visit farms. Visit farmers’ markets, fresh farm produce is sold there. It will allow you to see your plants, spices and more in their fresh state. Apart from the health benefits you derive from nature, you should also have an aesthetic appreciation too, it is quite therapeutic.
By the way, the Xylopia aethiopica I told you I put on Facebook in its fresh form is called Negro pepper. It is called ‘Uda’ in Igbo. It is known as ‘Chimba’ in Hausa. The Yoruba call it ‘Eru’. The one planted in our home is ‘Eru alamo’ (because the fruit opens to discharge the seeds when ripe). There is another that does not discharge its seeds.
We have unfinished business. Let us proceed.
Yanyan Li, associate professor of nutrition at Husson University, states, “Lycopene is a very powerful antioxidant. We can find lycopene in tomatoes, which probably is the most famous source, and we can also find it in watermelon.”
He went on to say that “you can find a lot of beta-carotene in orange coloured fruit and vegetables like sweet potatoes, cantaloupe and squash. We know it is very essential for our vision because it can be converted to retinol.”
He also said “eating a variety of colour can help make sure you get a variety of phytochemicals, although many phytochemicals do not have colour; if you eat a variety of food, you are going to get them anyway.”
What really are the advantages of eating the rainbow? First, eating a rainbow introduces a variety of foods into your diet and prevents boredom from eating the same things. Each fruit or vegetable adds something special to a dish – it could be a smell, flavour or even texture that is unique.
Secondly, having a rainbow of fruits and vegetables on your plate can increase your sensory enjoyment of food. A plate filled with vibrant colours stands out compared to a plate of similarly-coloured foods. Food psychology studies also show that foods that look visually appealing are often perceived to be tastier than foods that are not.
The most important thing that a rainbow of fruits and vegetables can provide is health benefits. Contrary to the idea that a single super food is all you need to benefit your health, eating a variety of fruits and vegetables can help your body function best.
Last week, we looked at foods with red, green, orange and yellow colours. Let us continue with the colours:
- Blue, purple, black
Examples of fruits and vegetables that are blue and purple are blueberries, blackberries, purple onions and purple cabbage
The main phytonutrient in them is called Anthocyanins.
The main vitamins and minerals in them are fibre, manganese, potassium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and Vitamin K1.
The health benefits are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, they may benefit heart health, may lower your risk of neurological disorders, may improve brain function, may lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, and may lower your risk of certain cancers.
- Dark red
Examples of fruits and vegetables with dark red colour are beetroot, red leaf lettuce, and red amaranthus (although it is popularly called green, there is the red one known as ‘efo tete pupa’ in Yoruba).
What about our African star apple commonly known as ‘agbalumo’ in Yoruba and ‘udara’ in Igbo? I think it should not be left out on this list because if you open a ripe one (not the ones plucked before they are ripe that are sold around now), it is actually dark red.
The main phytonutrient in them is Betalains, while the main vitamins and minerals in them are folate, magnesium, manganese, potassium and Vitamin B6.
The health benefits are anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, may lower your risk of high blood pressure, may benefit heart health, may lower your risk of certain cancers, and may support athletic performance through increased oxygen uptake.
- White and brown
Examples of fruits and vegetables with these colours are cauliflower, garlic, white onions, mushrooms and white potatoes.
The main phytonutrients in them are anthoxanthins (flavonols, flavones), and allicin, while the main vitamins and minerals in them are fibre, folate, magnesium, manganese, potassium, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin K1.
The health benefits are anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, may lower your risk of colon and other cancers, and they may benefit heart health.
The great thing about eating the rainbow is that it is easy to implement. Try to incorporate two to three different coloured fruits or vegetables at every meal and at least one at every snack. While you do not have to eat every single colour every day, try to get them into your diet a few times per week.
A study titled, ‘A Review of the Science of Colourful, Plant-Based Food and Practical Strategies for Eating the Rainbow’ by Deanna M. Minich et al concludes that associating each of the colours with a health benefit for ease of remembering to eat a variety of colourful foods in one such approach may help people to relate to the health properties of fruits and vegetables. Ensuring the consumption of a variety of foods will enable the individual to sample from thousands of phytochemicals that may help to offset an increased risk of chronic diseases.
A study titled, ‘Colours of fruits and vegetables and 10-year incidence of CHD’ by Linda M. Oude Griep concludes that consumption of the sum of all four fruit and vegetable colour groups was weakly inversely related to CHD (congenital heart disease). A more detailed analysis of different colour groups showed that a higher intake of deep orange fruit and vegetables, especially carrots, may protect against incidences of CHD.
Fill your plates with colours of the rainbow, what pleases the eye pleases the body.
Merry Christmas.
