The Nutritional Magic in Orange Foods

Having a colorful diet is a clever approach to staying healthy – and the color orange is a great way to explore this concept. Orange foods are chock-full of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients (to protect the body from harmful invaders). Not only that, they’re easy to prepare… And even easier to eat. 

Many people love orange vegetables, preferring them over the bitter bite of leafy greens. Orange vegetables are just as impactful as green ones, as they can give you a boost in energy, improve your digestion, and help you feel more vibrant all around. 

The Carotene Craze

What makes these fruits and vegetables orange is the presence of carotene, which is a yellow/orange pigment. The deeper the color orange, the more carotene there is. 

Your body converts carotene into vitamin A in the liver, and vitamin A can help maintain good eyesight. It also functions as a natural antioxidant. 

Carotenoids, produced by orange foods, are beneficial in a variety of different ways. They can promote healthy skin, strengthen the immune system, and aid the growth and repair of tissue that lines your mouth and intestines. They can also protect you from the cold, flu, and infections throughout the body. 

Other Benefits of Orange Foods

You’ve only just scratched the surface of what orange foods can do for you. They can also help older adults avoid macular degeneration – a disease that can lead to partial or full blindness. 

Orange foods can prevent this due to lutein and zeaxanthin. These antioxidants fight the disintegration that occurs in the macula at the back of the eye. 

And that’s not all. Orange foods can also lower your risk of getting cancer, as higher consumption of orange foods and their carotenoids has been linked to a lowered risk of contracting a few types of cancers. 

Incorporating Orange into Your Diet

There are many interesting ways to encourage your family to eat more orange foods. You can make a delicious (and aesthetically pleasing) snack by cutting up all different color peppers and serving them with dip. You can roast sweet potatoes and pair them with a savory meal. You can warm up with butternut squash soup on a cold winter day. You can even add orange vegetables to your rice! 

The next time you’re at the grocery store, remember the benefits of orange foods – it might just make you want to slip a few into your cart. 

Here are some orange vegetables to take into consideration:

• Acorn squash
• Butternut squash
• Carrots
• Orange peppers
• Orange tomatoes
• Pumpkin
• Saffron 
• Sweet potatoes
• Turmeric

And as for orange fruits, check out these bright choices:

• Apricots
• Cantaloupe
• Mandarins
• Mangoes 
• Nectarines
• Oranges
• Papayas
• Peaches
• Persimmons
• Tangerines

Orange You Glad You Read This?

Shaping your eating habits around the color orange is a neat and novel approach to wellness. It’s a simple concept that’s surprisingly easy to follow. And with it, you’ll experience many great benefits of eating fruits & vegetables within this color range. Give it a try and see how you feel.