Here's how purple foods benefit your health

Eating foods of different colours benefit your health in different ways. Include purple foods such as onions, concord grapes, prunes, blackberries, black mission figs and purple cabbage in your diet for a healthier life.

Here are the benefits of purple foods:

Fights cancer

Purple foods are rich in antioxidants. These help in combating prostate, skin, breast, blood, lung and liver cancer by destroying free radicals. These foods also help us stay younger for longer. These foods even have amazing healing powers.

Controls blood pressure

The purple pigment present in all the fruits and vegetables contains flavonoids, which includes resveratrol — a compound that helps in lowering blood pressure. This helps in relaxing the arterial walls and enhances the blood flow.

Combats ulcers

In 2011, a study was conducted on rats and it was found that anthocyanins — a type of flavonoid found in blackberries — could deplete the formation of stomach ulcer in the rodents. This antioxidant is also believed to prevent oxidation in the body and even enhance the functioning of other important antioxidants.

Enhances heart health

Anthocyanins present in blackcurrants can deplete the levels of bad cholesterol or LDL and trigger good cholesterol. Hence the fruit and other purple foods should be consumed by people with high cholesterol in abundance.

Combats urinary tract infection

Anthocyanin compounds present in these foods is known for combating the bacteria H Pylori, which triggers UTIs and stomach ulcers.

Improves liver health

Liver damage caused by excessive consumption of alcohol can be reduced by consuming purple foods. A research carried out on rats in 2010 revealed that anthocyanins present in purple foods help in healing the damage.