Ever wondered that the colour of your food has a nutritional significance on your health? The colours of the fruits and vegetables on your plate signify different combinations of nutrients, each having its own quota of health benefits.
Nature has colour-coded food. If we follow the colour schemes and take a few food items from each of the coded colours, we would get the balanced food. What better example of the ‘colourful balanced food’ than our own traditional thalis — north Indian, south Indian, Gujarati, Rajasthani etc. You name the colour and the age-old thali has it. There is green mint chutney, red chilli paste, yellow papad, white yoghurt, multi-coloured gravy dishes, and the list goes on.
“It’s important to get a colourful variety of fruits and vegetables into your diet every day. Colourful fruits and vegetables provide the wide range of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals your body needs to maintain good health, energy levels and prevent diseases. The high potassium content in fruits and vegetables has protective effect on blood pressure, reduces the risk of developing kidney stones and may help decrease bone loss,” says Delhi-based nutritionist Geetu
Amarnani.
Most reputed chefs agree that the various ingredients in their kitchens have a great colour significance. Choosing them the right way not only enhances the presentation but also gives a healthy balanced meal. So the chefs strive to focus on preparing a dish in such a way that there is a kind of symbiosis between taste, nutrition and aesthetics.
Neeraj Tyagi, Executive Chef of The Claridges, New Delhi, says, “The food should be a feast for the eyes and palates of my guests, so I try to present some special dishes. For example, ‘Grilled Black Cod’ is a special dish with watermelon and goat cheese cannelloni, potato gnocchi with black truffle and young tomato compote. Each ingredient adds a different colour and thereby, nutrients.”
Likewise, Chef Abhinav Sharma of Xes Café, New Delhi, suggests smoked salmon salad and salmon fillet for its varied colours, starting from dark hash brown to light pink and green. All are natural colours of the various ingredients in the dish. Sharma prepares the smoked salmon wrapped in lettuce and serves it with zesty blood orange dressing. Salmon Fillet is served on bed of new crushed potatoes with caper lemon butter sauce.
Garnishing Does It All
Choosing the right garnishes for the dish is very significant. As Tyagi says, “It not only adds to the presentation, but is also a very intelligent way to give varied healthy, colourful items in the platter. So every single ingredient given should be edible. For example, place a slice of fruit that contrasts with the colour of food beside a strand of lemon or orange peel on the plate. It will automatically add colours and lift the whole look. Besides the fact that you can enjoy the fruit as well as the lemon.” He further adds, “You can even use fresh herbs like scallion flower and rosemary sprig on the plate for garnishing. Serve sliced carrots or cucumbers or onions rather than serving it as a whole piece. Cut them in shapes that contrast such as triangle or thin long strips, or oval shapes. Place them around the food or just in a corner one after the other for that fine look. Remember not to place too much of it on the plate that your guest will not be able to eat it.”
However, don’t go overboard just to add colours, warns Tyagi. “For instance, adding red tomato to every green dish without relating to the taste makes
no sense.”
Blue-& Purple-coloured Fruits and Vegetables
Blueberries, grapes, blackberries, raisins, purple cabbage, eggplant and plums among others, fight for your health. These fruits and vegetables contain phenolics and anthocyanins, both of which are phytochemicals as that help lower cancer risk. They are also good to maintain memory function, healthy aging and urinary tract health.
Green-coloured Fruits and Vegetables
Green apples, grapes, avocados, honeydew, limes, kiwifruit, asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, celery, green beans, leafy greens, cucumbers, okra, peas, green peppers and spinach assist us in building strong teeth, bones, better eyesight and may also lower risk of certain cancers. They contain indoles and lutein in varying amounts.
White-coloured Fruits and Vegetables
Garlic, onions, brown pears, bananas, cauliflower, dates, white nectarines, white shallots, turnips, white corn, parsnips, white potatoes, white peaches, jicama and ginger contain phytochemical allicin. It makes the heart healthy by increasing the level of healthy cholesterol in the body. This phytochemical also lowers cancer risk in people.
Yellow-& Orange-coloured Vegetables and Fruits
Cantaloupe, apricots, grapefruit, mangos, lemons, oranges, peaches, pineapples, papaya, butternut squash, yellow peppers, pumpkin, summer squash, carrots, sweet potatoes and sweet corn contain heart beneficial phytonutrients such as vitamin C, bioflavonoids and carotenoids. They help also in eyesight and building a healthy immune system.
Red-coloured Fruits and Vegetables
Cherries, apples, red grapes, pink/red grapefruit, pomegranates, cranberries, raspberries, watermelon, strawberries, beets, radishes, red potatoes, tomatoes and red peppers contain phytonutrients lycopene and anthocyanins. The phytonutrients promote a healthy heart, urinary tract free of infections, improve memory and also lower cancer risk.
