what are colored vegetables

18 Most Colorful Vegetables You Need To Grow In Your Garden.

• 1. Eggplant. Eggplant ‘Rosa Bianca.’.
• 2. Kale.
• 3. Okra (Lady’s Finger)
• 4. Beet.
• 5. Carrot.

Full Answer

How to cook vegetables by color?

Which vegetables should not be eaten raw?

• Potatoes. Uncooked potatoes not only taste bad but can also lead to digestive problems. …
• Cruciferous Vegetables. …
• Red Kidney Beans. …
• Mushrooms. …
• Eggplant. …
• French Beans.

Do colours of vegetables indicate health benefits?

Eating the Rainbow: Vegetable Health Benefits by Color

• Green Vegetables. Green vegetables pack a powerful punch of essential nutrients, including vitamin K, isoflavones and lutein.
• Red Vegetables. The phytonutrients that give red vegetables their color offer several benefits, including antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
• Yellow and Orange Vegetables. ...
• Blue and Purple Vegetables. ...
• White Vegetables. ...

Why are fruits and vegetables different colors?

What is color?

• Light is waves. Light is a type of electromagnetic radiation. ...
• Wavelength determines color. Once a wave is within the visible spectrum, we can see it. ...
• A tomato is red, because it reflects red. So why is a tomato red? ...
• Pigments absorb & reflect. ...

What do the colors of vegetables mean?

This is because the different colors of fruits and vegetables indicate the different nutrients they contain. Consuming a rainbow of fruits and vegetables helps insure you get enough of the different nutrients you need for good health.

What color vegetables are healthiest?

Dark greenDark green, leafy vegetables have the highest concentration of antioxidants and fiber. Blue/purple fruits and vegetables, including such favorites as cranberries, purple grapes, raisins and eggplant, boost urinary tract health and memory function and promote healthy aging.

What is the color in vegetables called?

The compounds that give orange and yellow fruits and vegetables their color are called carotenoids.

What are colorful fruits and vegetables?

Red fruits and vegetablesRed Vegetables: tomatoes, radishes, red cabbage, beets.Red Fruits: red grapes, strawberries, watermelon, cherries, raspberries, pomegranates, cranberries, red apples.Blue and Purple Vegetables: eggplant, purple cabbage, purple potatoes.More items...•

What are rainbow vegetables?

There are so many green rainbow vegetables that you are literally spoilt for choice....Green vegetables.ArtichokesAvocadoBean sproutsBell peppersBroccoliCabbageCeleryEdamameGreen beansGreen peasBeet greensKaleGreen chardMustard greensSpinach1 more row•Dec 4, 2020

Why are vegetables different colors?

Why Are Fruits and Vegetables Full of so Many Colors? Each color in fruits and vegetables is created by specific phytonutrients, which are natural compounds that help protect plants from germs, bugs, the sun, and other threats. And each color indicates an abundance of specific nutrients.

What are bright colored vegetables?

Bright green vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, all bring specific benefits to your dinner table. Broccoli and Brussels sprouts are high in vitamin C, and they are cruciferous vegetables, which means they have a high content of a substance known as sulfuraphane.

What are purple vegetables?

Purple Vegetables & How to Eat ThemEggplant. Also called aubergine, purple eggplant is slightly bitter with a spongy texture. ... Purple Potato. Purple potatoes are a nuttier, earthier neighbor to white potatoes. ... Purple Cabbage. ... Purple Cauliflower. ... Purple Asparagus. ... Purple Carrots. ... Purple Corn. ... Purple Pepper.More items...•

Is there a blue vegetable?

So I did a little research. Yes, blueberries are the only blue fruit. However, there is a blue vegetable: Blue corn. And if you are open minded, there is a purple potato variety called “All Blue.”

What do you call the pigment of green vegetables?

6.3. Chlorophylls are plant pigments that account for the green color present in plants and are the molecules responsible for the transformation of light energy into chemical energy, in a process called photosynthesis.

What are the pigments in white vegetables called?

Flavones: It is the pigment present in white vegetables. It is present in potato, onion, cauliflower, white cabbage, cucumber, zucchini, and the white of celery. This pigment stays white in an acid medium and turns yellow in an alkaline medium.

Which vegetable has the chlorophyll pigment?

Plants use chlorophyll along with sunlight to get their nutrients. One of the primary ways of including chlorophyll in the diet is by eating green vegetables, such as alfalfa and spinach. Wheatgrass is particularly rich in chlorophyll and is available to purchase online as a powder, juice, or capsule.

What pigment is found in red vegetables?

anthocyaninsCarotenoids (specifically lycopene), anthocyanins, and betacyanins are natural red pigments found in fruits and vegetables. They possess antioxidant properties beneficial in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

10. Sweet Potatoes

If you believed that sweet potatoes came in just a single rose red color with pale orange flesh underneath, you are wrong. A member of the morning glory family, this dicot tuber has 16 recognized varieties with each having a different hue.

12. Swiss Chard

This tasty and crunchy salad green is undoubtedly one of the most colorful vegetables you can plant in your garden. Often used for its ornamental value, Swiss chard is characterized by striking red, orange, yellow or white stalks that stand tall and provide a beautiful contrast to an all-green garden bed.

14. Corn

The brilliant yellow corn is not the only variety out there. This large starchy grain is available in vivid color options, including white, red, green and even blue. Sure, you will find only the seeds of white and bicolor types more easily, but a little more effort can help you avail the sweet red corn that is ideal for home gardening.

15. Asparagus

Asparagus is another healthy vegetable with a stunning color palette. Interestingly, it comes in three different colors of green, white and purple in the store, but in the garden, the white and green varieties are the same. Then again, the white type has less nutrition than its green or purple counterpart.

Red and Orange Vegetables

Red and orange fruits and vegetables are among the highest in vitamin C. A one-half-cup serving of red bell pepper provides 95 milligrams of vitamin C, which is about 25 milligrams more than a medium orange -- the popular gold standard for vitamin C. One cup of strawberries contains 85 milligrams.

Dark Green Vegetables

When looking to boost your iron levels, go for the green, says nutritionist Reed Mangels, author of "The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book." Spinach, for example, has 3.2 milligrams per one-half cup. Peas, collard greens and lima beans are also good sources.

Blue and Purple Vegetables

Blue and purple foods add interest to the color palate of your plate and also bring considerable nutritional value to the table. The blue compound that makes blueberries blue is a powerful antioxidant called anthocyanin that may protect against cancer and heart disease, according to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

White Vegetables

White vegetables may not seem as colorful as others, but they can be highly nutritious. Cauliflower and turnips contain rich amounts of compounds known as glucosinolates, which may provide some protection against cancer. Garlic and onions contain antioxidants called polyphenols, which may play an important role in managing chronic inflammation.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Bright green vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, all bring specific benefits to your dinner table. Broccoli and Brussels sprouts are high in vitamin C, and they are cruciferous vegetables, which means they have a high content of a substance known as sulfuraphane.

Beets and Cabbage

Red cabbage and red beets get their pigment from specific antioxidants known as anthocyanins. They also contain moderately high amounts of vitamin C and potassium. Potassium is an electrolyte mineral that helps with muscle contractions, and it is also beneficial if you have high blood pressure.

Carrots and Sweet Potatoes

Carrots and sweet potatoes have many similarities. Both are bright orange, have moderate amounts of fiber and are high in beta carotene -- a precursor to vitamin A. Vitamin A is needed for good vision, and it also promotes structural integrity of the skin, mucous membranes and skeletal tissue, according to University of Maryland Medical Center.

Peppers

Peppers come in many colors, such as red, orange, yellow, green and purple. All of these varieties are low in calories, high in fiber and have a high content of vitamins C and A. Yellow peppers are especially high in vitamin C with more than 183 milligrams per 100-gram serving.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are high in fiber, and they also contain a substance known as lycopene. Lycopene has been touted as helping to prevent prostate cancer. However, because tomatoes contain other nutrients like folate, potassium and vitamin C, the effects lycopene has on cancer prevention are inconclusive, according to MayoClinic.com.

Purple carrots, blue potatoes, and black tomatoes? Plant a garden full of unexpected vegetables and eat the rainbow!

Purple carrots, blue potatoes, and black tomatoes? Plant a garden full of unexpected vegetables and eat the rainbow!

Purple Carrots

Believe it or not, early carrots were more likely to be purple than orange! They were also commonly red and yellow. Over the centuries, as carrots were selectively bred to be sweeter and more tender, the orange varieties came to the forefront.

Blue Potatoes

There are close to 4,000 varieties of potato, all of which can be traced back to a single origin in southern Peru. Over time, they’ve been bred and developed for a variety of characteristics. Blue and purple potatoes aren’t common in the U.S., but they’re fun to grow and delicious to eat.

Black Tomatoes

Black tomatoes contain higher amounts of anthocyanin, which actually give them a longer shelf life naturally once harvested. The flesh inside is a deep red, making for a fantastic show in a salad. Be sure to give them plenty of sun while ripening to bring out the dark color of the skin.

Orange Eggplants

You’re used to purple eggplant, and maybe you’ve come across the white varieties. What about orange? This African variety (the others are from Asia) sets fruit about the size of a baseball, which is very sweet. It’s small enough to grow in containers, so just about anyone can give it a go.

Orange Cauliflower

Though this variety is sometimes called ‘Cheddar’ cauliflower, it tastes nothing like cheese. The orange coloration comes from beta-carotene, which is converted in the body into vitamin A. Unlike some other vegetables that lose color when cooked, the orange of this cauliflower actually becomes more vibrant.

Chocolate Peppers

OK, they don’t actually taste like chocolate, but these pretty brown peppers are truly unique. Like other bell peppers, they aren’t overly hot, but instead have a sweet flavor, especially when fully ripe.

America eats only beige!

Unfortunately, the standard American diet is severely lacking in colored fruits and vegetables and beige is the color everyone seems to love. Crackers, cookies, breads etc have become the mainstay of American eating habits. These foods are cheap, conveniently available and tasty yet they are also filled with harmful ingredients.

What do different colors of fruits and vegetables mean?

Blue/Purple – This color is due to the fruit’s anthocyanin content. Anthocyanins are antioxidants that provide numerous heart healthy benefits. The darker the blue color, the higher the concentration of phytochemicals in it. Go in for blueberries, eggplants etc for getting Anthocyanins.

Eating and counting colors

Experts recommend that our diet should consist of rainbow colored fruits and vegetables to get all their health benefits. So, the next time you shop, take a look at your cart.

Buying, Cooking, and Recipes

Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.

What Are Collard Greens?

Collards have dark green, fanlike leaves with tough stems. They're a member of the same group of plants that includes kale, turnips, and mustard greens.

How to Cook With Collard Greens

These greens need to be washed thoroughly before cooking them, as they can carry a lot of grit. But you don't typically eat the stems, so remove those first.

What Do They Taste Like?

On their own, collards are pretty bitter and the texture is tough. But once you add some moist heat, their flavor softens and becomes milder the longer you cook them.

Collard Greens Recipes

Yes, they're popular in the southern U.S., but think beyond geography. Anywhere you'd use a dark, leafy bitter green, you can use collards. Toss chopped collards into a soup, slice the leaves into ribbons for pasta, or sauté them with a cruciferous cousin such as kale—it's all good.

Where to Buy Collard Greens

Collards are not usually hard to come by, as they're available all year round in most grocery stores or in markets that serve African-American populations. They're stocked in bunches in the produce section, chilled, near the kale, Swiss chard, and other leafy green veggies. The leaves are so big, they're hard to miss.

Storage

Collard greens are best kept in the fridge in a plastic bag, unwashed, to help preserve their crispness. You don't want to wash them and then put them in the fridge, as introducing excessive moisture will accelerate the spoiling process.