Colour Key to Fighting
Winter Colds and Flu
 Before you stock up on over-the-counter cold and flue pills of every description
and colour, consider buying a box of fruit and vegetables! Why? Because
boosting your intake of antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables could be your best
defence against winter sniffles and sneezes according to accredited practising
dietitians. (1)
Leading health organisations recommend eating a wide variety of in-season fruit
and vegetables in a range of colours. How much to do you need to get your best
defences ready? It is recommended that we have two serves of fruit and five
serves of vegetables a day(2).
There are two potent forces at odds with eat other during winter months. One is
our natural desire to keep warm through ‘comfort’ foods such and indoor
hibernation. The other is the requirements of our immune system.
Dr Trent
Watson, accredited practising dieticians and Dietitians Association of Australia
spokesperson says, ‘Some studies have shown that carotenoids can help immune
function, and the antioxidant allicin is said to have antiviral properties. But
here is no solver bullet for a strong immune system. Eating a wide range of
fruit and vegetables each day will give us the best mix of antioxidants, in the
right amounts.’ For a healthy immune system,
Dr Watson also
recommended eating enough zinc, found in lean red meat, fish and poultry as well
as wholegrain cereals, legumes, reduced-fat dairy foods and nuts.
Dr David
Heber(3), author of “What Color Is Your Diet” breaks down the fruit/veggie colour
code into seven major groups as follows.
|
Red Group |
|
Canned or bottled tomato juice and mixed vegetable juice; canned tomatoes,
tomato paste, tomato sauce, pasta sauces; prepared tomato soup; prepared tomato
salsa; pink grapefruit; watermelon. |
|
Red/Purple
Group |
|
Bottled grape juice (100% juice), bottled cranberry juice or frozen cranberry
juice concentrate, frozen whole berries, purple cabbage, red peppers, fresh
apples pears, berries and cherries. |
|
Orange Group |
|
Fresh and
frozen carrots and winter squash; mango; rockmelon (cantaloupe); apricots. |
|
Orange/Yellow
Group |
|
Fresh or frozen orange juice, papaya, pawpaw, pineapple, yellow grapefruit,
pineapple juice, nectarines, oranges, peaches and tangerines. |
|
Yellow/Green
Group |
|
Fresh or frozen spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, avocados and turnip
greens. Green peppers, salad greens and honeydew melon. |
|
Green Group |
|
Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower. |
|
White/Green
Group |
|
Onions, garlic, celery, mushrooms. |
Examples of seasonal fruit and vegetables available in winter
are:
Beetroot, broccoli,
Brussels sprout, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, fennel, leek, onion,
parsnip, potato, pumpkin, silver beet, spinach, swede, sweet potato, turnip.
Apple, grapefruit, kiwifruit, lemons, mandarin, Naval orange, rhubarb.
Source: Weight Loss Health
Editorial Team
References:
(1) Dietitians Association of
Australia
(2) "Go for 2&5" program
(3) What Color is Your Diet, Dr David
Heber, HarperCollins Publishers
|
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