What gives fruits and vegetables their colors are antioxidants, which are molecules that are capable of shielding our cells from the harmful effects of free radicals. Did you know that antioxidants come in so many different classes, each one having its unique color? This is the reason why fruits and vegetables come in an array of lovely hues.

In this article, we will talk about the benefits of adding more purple foods to your diet on a regular basis. Don’t forget to share this after reading to have your family members and friends, especially those health-conscious ones, know the reasons why they should also load up on anything that’s purple in color!

Related: The Best Foods for Your Liver

Purple fruits and vegetables come in such regal color because of the presence of certain types of powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins. However, it’s not just in purple foods that you can find a lot of anthocyanins. According to scientists, you can also obtain plenty of them from dark red and deep blue fruits and vegetables.

Experts say that anthocyanins are so powerful because they are very good at zapping free radicals before they have the chance to damage healthy cells of the body. If you are a health nut, then it’s not unlikely for you to already know that free radicals cause oxidative stress, and oxidative stress is linked to a host of health problems.

Other than fighting off free radicals and thus keeping oxidative stress at bay, further scientific investigations revealed that anthocyanins are also very much capable of controlling inflammation. It’s been found out, too, that these antioxidants found in purple as well as dark red and blue fruits and vegetables have anti-viral and anti-cancer perks.

As you can see, anthocyanins are some of the most powerful antioxidants on the face of the planet. What’s so nice about them is they are easily accessible, and you can take advantage of them simply by including plenty of purple foods in your diet, and also fruits and vegetables that show off deep red and blue colors.

Here are some wonderful examples of purple foods that contain superb amounts of anthocyanins:

Purple or red grapes

Eggplants

Plums

Cranberries

Beets

Blueberries

Cherries

Strawberries

Red cabbage

Red apples

Red onions

There are so many other fruits and vegetables out there that are packed with those powerful anthocyanins — just about any purple, dark red or deep blue produce that you can think of contain them!

Before you head out to start shopping for stuff that contain anthocyanins, let’s take one more look at some of the most impressive health perks that you can obtain from regularly consuming anthocyanin-containing fruits and vegetables — some of them have been already mentioned earlier, while others not yet:

They slow down the aging process

Because anthocyanins are able to control oxidative stress, the process of aging can be slowed down. You’ll appreciate it when you look at yourself in the mirror as your skin remains elastic and free of wrinkles. You will feel the benefits of anthocyanins in your joints, too!

They may lower cancer risk

Scientists say that anthocyanins possess superb anti-cancer properties. By loading up on foods that contain these types of antioxidants, you may have your risk of having to face deadly cancer one day lowered considerably.

They may lower risk of heart disease, too

Aside from cancer, your risk of heart disease may be reduced by anthocyanins, too. What’s so nice about fruits and vegetables containing anthocyanins is many of them also help in controlling high blood pressure and high cholesterol, both of which are heart disease risk factors.

They help protect your liver from damage

One of the health nightmares you definitely don’t want to have is liver damage because it is your liver that detoxifies your body — though it does so many other important tasks, too. Foods that are rich in anthocyanins are said to help shield the liver from getting damaged. (foodrevolution.com)

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