Unleash Your Purple

The color purple is often associated with royalty and an elite status, and that certainly holds

true today—nutritionally speaking, that is. Foods of this hue have potent health boosting phytonutrient power including supercharging the immune system, revving up brain function, and reducing your likelihood for high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

There’s also massive purple power when it comes to whittling your middle. The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found in a three-year study that purple foods slashed belly fat and inhibited fat absorption. Now that’s news we always like to hear!

Plus, you’ll be delighted to know that the list of foods appearing on this purple-powered list are delicious, too.

Purple Power

The phytonutrient power of purple isn’t limited to a strict shade—the blue- and red-toned varieties also apply. You’re probably familiar with common antioxidant powerhouses like blueberries, acai, and pomegranate.

Other top picks include cabbage, eggplant, grapes, plums, black currants, figs, and blackberries. You might also be surprised at how many purple counterparts there are to some of your favorites veggies that are more common in other colors, including purple asparagus, purple carrots, purple bell peppers, purple cauliflower, and even purple potatoes!

We can’t forget beets, which are full of betaine, a prominent protector of the liver. Betaine also thins the bile and helps it move freely within the bile ducts (healthy bile is a critical component to allow your body to properly utilize slimming fats), and is an incredibly rich dietary source of nitric oxide and antioxidants. While beets aren’t a favorite food for many, I recommend trying grating them and then sprinkling over a salad—you’ll find they’re quite delicious this way.

Classic Cranberry

Of course, then there’s my favorite Fat Flush staple—the courageous cranberry.

Cranberries are rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, C, and E as well as folic acid, boron, calcium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, and sulfur—all crucial vitamins and minerals for liver activity, as well as for many other bodily functions. These potent red berries are also vital aids to liver detox because they contain exceedingly high levels of lifesaving antioxidants that provide crucial support for the detox pathways.

Furthermore, their high content of organic acids—such as benzoic, malic, quinic, citric, and ellagic acids—have outstanding therapeutic qualities for many bodily functions. Malic acid, for example, is a potent digestion regulator and helps protect against diarrhea, while ellagic acid has been proven to inhibit the initiator of cancer.

As always, do always opt only for the organic variety—August farmer’s markets are a superb source for veggies and fruits—as produce can be a source of over 25,000 food chemicals. May these purple players delight your taste buds and create an aesthetically pleasing presentation at your dinner table tonight!

http://annlouise.com/2016/08/24/unleash-your-purple/