Fruit: every color has its own healthy use

Green for the blood vessels
Green fruits such as kiwis and green apples are full of healthy substances that benefit your blood vessels.

Kiwi
To prevent clogging of the blood vessels and to keep the blood thin, doctors regularly recommend aspirin. However, researchers at the University of Oslo have discovered a much tastier and more natural alternative with the same blood-thinning effect: eating two to three kiwis a day. It is not yet clear to the researchers which substance in kiwi is responsible for the blood-thinning effect.

green apple
Apples, such as the bright green Granny Smith, are high in quercitin, a very strong antioxidant. Antioxidants are beneficial, because they can protect our cells against free radicals (= unstable atoms and molecules that damage cells). As a result, antioxidants are thought to delay cancer and cardiovascular disease. One apple has the same antioxidant effect as 1500 mg of vitamin C. You need to eat no less than 25 oranges for this. Quercitin also seems to be good for our blood vessels. The higher the intake of this antioxidant, the lower the cholesterol level and the lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to Finnish and Japanese research.Orange for the eyes
Ever wondered why nectarines, apricots and peaches are so orange? This is due to beta-carotene, the same substance that turns carrots, oranges and mandarins orange. Beta-carotene is one of approximately 600 carotenoids found in fruits and vegetables. These super juicy drupes also contain a lot of two other carotenoids: lutein and zeaxanthin. Orange summer fruits are good for your eyes.

nectarines
Nectarines are high in lutein and zeaxanthin. When eating a nectarine, some of these substances go to your eyes. They form a kind of internal sunglasses and protect the retina against the harmful effects of sunlight. In this way they help prevent the aging of the retina. There are even indications that they protect against age blindness or macular degeneration; an eye disease that causes the center of the retina (the macula) to die. One in ten people over the age of 80 has this incurable condition. Unfortunately, it is not (yet) known how many nectarines you should eat to be protected against the disease.

Apricots
Apricots contain by far the most of the natural orange coloring beta-carotene of all fruits: more than 25 times more than the average fruit. Our body is able to convert that beta-carotene into vitamin A, which in turn makes a substance that is very important for seeing light and dark. Beta-carotene thus helps to prevent night blindness. And when summer is over and there are no more apricots to be found? Then take dried apricots. Beta-carotene withstands drying with flying colours. This is in contrast to vitamins, because you will hardly encounter them in dried fruit. Dried apricots are also high in iron, which is good for your blood.Fire red for everything
Red fruits such as strawberries and raspberries are irresistible to birds and they are quite right. Red fruit is a boon for your body. It not only contains vitamin C, but also so-called ellagitannin and lycopene, which color the flesh of a tomato or watermelon so beautifully red.

Watermelon
The red dye lycopene is always mentioned in the same breath as tomatoes, but watermelon contains a quarter more and that is by far the most of all fruits! Men in particular can benefit from this, because lycopene may be crucial in protecting against prostate cancer. It is also ideal in warm weather, because one large serving of watermelon contains as much moisture as a glass of soft drink, but is much better against thirst because it contains less sugar.

Strawberry
You will not find lycopene in strawberries, but you will find more vitamin C than there is in oranges. To be precise: 100 grams of orange contain 49 mg and 100 grams of strawberries contain 60 mg of vitamin C. Vitamin C is important for maintaining the immune system and for the healing of wounds. Less well known is that vitamin C keeps the skin firm. It is necessary for the formation of collagen, the connective tissue that gives the skin firmness. As the years go by, less and less collagen is produced, so that the skin becomes weaker and droops. Sunlight is also a notorious destroyer of connective tissue. Fortunately, there are plenty of strawberries for sale in the summer.

Raspberry
Raspberries are incredibly healthy, say researchers at Wageningen University. It contains a substance that is actually only found in medicinal herbs: ellagitannin. Cancer-inhibiting effects are attributed to this substance, although this has only been demonstrated in the laboratory so far.Purple for a youthful body and mind
Blueberries, blackberries, blackcurrants and plums are all packed with natural blue-purple dyes, also known as anthocyanins. Miraculous effects are attributed to these substances. Eat purple fruits especially ripe, because as they ripen, the content of anthocyanins only increases.

blueberries
Blueberries owe their deep color to the large amount of anthocyanins. These substances are thought to have a beneficial effect on our brains and memory. Animal research shows that anthocyanins end up in the brain, precisely in the area of ​​memory and learning. And the higher the level there, the smarter the animals were and remained as they got older.

plums
You might not be looking for this purple fruit, but scientific research shows that plums have a very strong antioxidant effect. Perhaps the strongest of all fruits. These plums are therefore beneficial, because antioxidants protect our body against diseases. No more fresh plums for sale? Prunes and plum jam are also good sources of antioxidants.Yellow for blood pressure
Yellow is good for your blood pressure, because yellow fruit contains the mineral potassium. The potassium kings are yellow honeydew melon and bananas.

honeydew melon
An even yellow skin and soft yellow flesh characterize the honeydew melon, also known as honeydew melon. It is an excellent source of potassium: a honeydew melon contains almost twice as much potassium as the average fruit. Potassium lowers blood pressure, according to scientific research.

Banana
Bananas not only contain a lot of potassium, but also a lot of vitamin B6. In fact, it is the richest source of this vitamin of all fruits and vegetables. Vitamin B6 is versatile and works in tandem with potassium. Both substances play an important role in our sense of touch. This fifth sense is formed by nerve endings that end in the skin. They absorb external stimuli, such as the warmth of the sun or a gentle touch. Both potassium and vitamin B6 are needed to transmit these impulses to the brain via the nerves. Potassium and vitamin B6 are also found in many foods, so you will not quickly become deficient.Five colors every day
The National Cancer Institute in the United States advises to vary the colors considerably. Because every color of fruit contains different unique super-healthy substances with the most exotic names. That is why the information campaign ‘5 a day, the color way’ has been running in the United States for years. This calls on Americans to eat as many colors of fruits and vegetables as possible.

The idea is that the more colourful, the more healthy substances. And we can learn something from the Americans, because here we don’t get any further than an average of two to three colors of fruits and vegetables a day. And one in three people don’t even make it. The most commonly consumed colors are green, orange, yellow and red. We hardly eat purple.