What’s the Health Connection and Nutritional Value Of Fruits and Vegetables?

Let’s take a closer look at the health benefits and why red is good for your body?

Diets rich in red foods are packed with vitamins and bursting with an antioxidant called lycopene.

Lycopene is a carotenoid linked to multiple health benefits.

Better nutrition starts with adding red fruit, which in this case means goodness.

“A trick many people should use when trying to get everything into their diets is getting every color into it,” says David Katz, MD, an associate clinical professor of epidemiology and public health at Yale Medical School.

Katz points out that it can be easier focusing on colors to avoid getting lost in the increasingly more complicated food system of today.

“If people are eating at least one or two different colors of food per day, chances are their health will improve significantly,” says Katz.

Eating red as opposed to seeing red because red is first in line and a good color due in large part to the health benefits of Lycopene…

Lycopene is great for skin health and protects the skin from sun damage decreasing the risk of heart disease as well as certain forms of cancer.

Lycopene helps the body function better during physical activity.

Lycopene-rich foods have been shown to lessen symptoms of asthma, wheezing, and shortness of breath in people who exercise.

The antioxidant can be found in most red (or rose-colored) fruits and vegetables, but it’s most strongly concentrated in the tomato.

Here’s five lycopene rich red foods guaranteed to improve your health and wellness:

Tomatoes not only have the highest levels of lycopene, but contain high concentrations of vitamin A and vitamin C. Vitamin K is also found which helps maintain healthy bones.

Canned and cooked tomatoes have been shown to contain higher levels of lycopene than fresh produce, so ketchup, tomato sauce, salsa and marinara sauce are good for you.

Red bell peppers have double the vitamin C and nine times the vitamin A as green.

Red bell peppers have been shown to help in the fight against everything from asthma to cancer to catracts.

Interestingly, bottled or jarred red bell peppers are just as good for the body.

Guava is like most red fruits and veggies, this packs in the lycopene as well as high levels of vitamins A and C.

Guava contains heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and loads of fiber.

Guava can be found in larger supermarkets and Latin grocers. Guava nectar is usually available in most grocery stores and it’s just as healthy.

Watermelon is bursting with lycopene and vitamins A and C shown to neutralize cancer-causing free radicals and help with breathing problems.

Pink grapefruit contains one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants. This includes ruby red grapefruit juice.

Today with so many good foods choices to pick from the long lost health secrets for women’s health are out.

While some women stick to the food pyramid, others go for calories, carbohydrates or low fat content.

The health secret is adding a little bit of spice into the mix, red and maybe a few different colors of the rainbow is the easiest way to ensure you eat a well-balanced diet of fruit and vegetables packed with vitamins and antioxidants.

Remember happy, fit and active women wear red dresses…oh yeah, and eat red fruit:)