Blue and Purple foods are antioxidant powerhouses and are bursting with essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids. This week we talk about the health benefits of acai powder, maqui berry powder, beetroot, red cabbage and more.

1. How Blue And Purple
Foods Can Transform
Your Health
[http://www.nourishinghub.com.au/]
By: Simone Denny

2. Hello Lovely Friend,
Last month I came down with flu like symptoms and my whole body ached. The
thought of getting sick made me see red….and purple and blue! I loaded myself
with these colourful fruits and vegetables and superfoods and low and behold I
woke up the next morning and felt completely normal. Perhaps this was just a
coincidence but I have to say the old pinky purple antioxidant smoothie has
been seen a lot lately in our house.
Blue and Purple (and in some cases hues of red and black) foods are antioxidant
"Eat your greens". It’s probably something we have all heard many times
growing up. Without a doubt green foods are wonderfully nourishing for our
bodies; they are nutrient dense and excellent for alkalizing the body (read more
about alkalizing in a previous article here and green algaes here)……BUT did
you know about the incredible health benefits of blue and purple foods?

3. powerhouses and are bursting with essential vitamins, minerals and amino
acids. New research suggests they may in fact be richer in antioxidants and vital
flavonoids than the beloved greens.
The Magic Ingredient
How does it work?
Anthocyanin protects against cell damage caused by free radicals (a natural
anti-aging compound) making it a powerful antioxidant. The American Cancer
society recommends eating colourful fruits and vegetables (particularly purple
foods) due to their cancer fighting properties.
I know you’ve heard me talk about this before - ORAC stands of Oxygen
Radical Absorbance Capacity and is a unit measurement for antioxidants. It is
believed that foods with the highest ORAC value will help to neutralise free
radicals that cause damage to cells.
Powerful Purple and Blue Foods
There is a wonderful range of purple and blue foods that can easily be added to
one’s everyday diet. Some of the most nutrient dense ones are as follows:
In addition to the essential phytonutrients, blue and purple foods contain a
compound called anthocyanin (which I have discussed in prior articles
about black rice and raw cacao). Anthocyanin is responsible for the colour
pigment in many food and flowers – the colour can range from light pink to
dark indigo.

5. If you are interested in boosting your purple and blue foods you may be like
to add some of these to your diet:
You may also be interested in trying out some of these Nourishing Hub
Recipes:
Acai Berry Power or Capsules or an Energy Blend
Maqui Berry Powder - ON SALE
Bioactivate
Resveratrol
Beetroot Coconut Salad
Beetroot Soup with Black Cumin
Red Cabbage, Apple and Fennel Salad

6. recipe.
Have a great week and I'll be in touch with my blue and purple antioxidant
smoothie soon!
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