Encouraging Health

You’ve got a ripe banana and a juicy plum. Which one’s antioxidants will hold up best after a couple of days in your fruit bowl?

The answer: Eat the banana now. Turns out bananas may lose their antioxidant qualities quickly. Dark plums, on the other hand? They could actually get a tiny antioxidant boost with short storage. Here’s how other fruit holds up.

Time on My Side
The antioxidants in black grapes, apples, oranges, and tomatoes (yes, tomatoes are fruit!) also seem to hold up well during storage. But not so much when it comes to apricots and cherries.

Fun with Polyphenols
Researchers are busy finding the best way to measure the antioxidant power of individual pieces of fruit. Not an easy task, because the content can vary from piece to piece within the same variety of fruit, depending on the fruit’s genes, the environment in which it grew, when it was harvested, and how it was stored. But you don’t have to wait for the final results.

Red
Make these fruits and vegetables a regular part of your diet:
tomatoes, watermelon, cherries, cranberries, pomegranates, beets, red peppers, radishes, radicchio, red potatoes, rhubarb

These foods contain the important phytochemicals, lycopene and anthocyanins, which help promote: • heart health
• memory function
• urinary tract health

Blue-Purple
Make these fruits and vegetables a regular part of your diet:
blackberries, blueberries, black currants, dried plums, elderberries, purple figs, red grapes, plums, raisins, red cabbage, eggplant, purple peppers

These foods contain the important phytochemicals, anthocyanins and phenolics, which help promote: • urinary tract health
• memory function

Yellow-Orange
Make these fruits and vegetables a regular part of your diet:
apricots, cantaloupe, grapefruit, lemons, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, persimmons, pineapple, tangerines, squash, carrots, yellow peppers, pumpkin, rutabagas, sweet potatoes

These foods contain the important phytochemicals, carotenoids and flavonoids, which help promote: • heart health
• vision health
• a healthy immune system

Yellow-Green
Make these fruits and vegetables a regular part of your diet:
avocados, green apples, green grapes, honeydew melon, kiwifruit, limes, green pears, artichokes, arugula, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, endive, leafy greens, green onions, okra, peas, green peppers, snow peas, sugar snap peas, spinach, watercress, zucchini

These foods contain the important phytochemicals, lutein and indoles, which help promote: • vision health
• strong bones and teeth

White-Green
Make these fruits and vegetables a regular part of your diet:
leeks, garlic, onions, chives, bananas, brown pears, dates, cauliflower, ginger, mushrooms, parsnips, shallots, turnips

These foods contain the important phytochemicals, allyl sulfides and allicin, which help promote: • heart health
• healthy cholesterol levels

In addition, vegetables and fruits reduce your risk of cancers. For more information, browse EncouragingHealth.com