Nature provides us with a prime indicator of plant-based foods’ nutritional content: color. Generally speaking, the deeper or more vibrant the color, the better it is for you. Darker greens are nutritionally superior to pale lettuce, and those vibrant blue blueberries are rich in antioxidants.
So it shouldn’t be too surprising that black foods have been getting a lot of press lately for their potent health benefits. Here are just a few of the hot black stars shining in the food galaxy today:
Black beans. Bursting with fiber and antioxidants, these dark beauties pack more disease-fighting power than lighter-skinned beans. Research shows that flavonoid and terpenoid compounds found in black beans halted the growth of colon-, liver- and breast cancer cells.
Black tea. The dark teas have lots of good things going for them, including heart-health benefits and cancer fighting properties.
Blackberries. Rich in polyphenols that have antioxidant activity, these dark and tasty berries have been shown in lab studies to help prevent diseases related to chronic inflammation. They’re another colon cancer fighter.
Black rice. Becoming increasingly popular in the U.S., this is a 100% whole grain food. One research study found that that when people’s diets were supplemented with black-rice pigments, their risk factors for cardiovascular disease decreased.
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