Color Your Way to 5 A Day

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Reds

Eating Red Vegetables & Fruits Ensures Getting the Essential Vitamins, Minerals, Fiber & Phytochemicals that this Color Group Has to Offer

CDC Recommends Eating a Variety of Colorful Vegetables and Fruits

The National 5 A Day for Better Health Partnership recommends eating deep red or bright pink vegetables and fruits every day. Nutrition research shows that red and bright pink fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals, such as lycopene and anthocyanins. Phytochemicals are substances found only in plants that may help your body fight disease and promote good health.

Lycopene (pronounced LIKE-oh-peen) is associated with the red color in tomatoes. Concentrated cooked sources of tomatoes, such as tomato sauce, are associated with greater health benefits. Heating and adding a small amount of fat makes the lycopene more easily absorbed by the body. Lycopene is being studied for its role to help reduce the risk of several types of cancer, including prostate cancer. Watermelons, pink grapefruits, and tomato-based products such as spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, and tomato juice are all good sources of lycopene. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in America men, killing 32,000 annually. Include foods rich in lycopene as part of your recommended 5 to 9 servings of vegetables & fruit a day.

• Gann P. et al. "Lower prostate cancer risk in men with elevated plasma lycopene levels: results of a prospective analysis." Cancer Research 1999;59:1225–30. 
• Gartner C., et al. "Lycopene is more bioavailable from tomato paste than from fresh tomatoes." Am J Clinical Nutrition 1997;66:116–22. 
• Giovanucci E., et al. "Intake of carotenoids and retinal in relation to risk of prostate cancer." Journal of National Cancer Institute 1995; 87:1767–76. 
• Sengupta A. Das S: The anti-carcinogenic role of lycopene abundantly present in tomato. Europ J Cancer Prevent 1990;8:325–30.

Other red vegetables & fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, and beets contain anthocyanins (pronounced an-tho-SIGH-uh-nins), a group of phytochemicals that are being studied for their ability to fight heart disease and cancer, their anti-inflammatory power and to delay several diseases associated with the aging process.

• Wang H, et al. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of anthocyannins and their aglycon, cyanidin, from tart cherries. J of Natural Products 1999; 62:294–96.
• Wang H, et al. Antioxidant polyphenols from tart cherries. J. of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 1999;47:840–44.

There are thousands of health promoting phytochemicals found in plants. Research is just beginning to understand how they work to improve health, so it’s important to eat a wide variety of colorful orange/yellow, red, green, white, and blue/purple vegetables and fruit every day. By eating vegetables and fruit from each color group, you will benefit from the unique array of phytochemicals, as well as essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that each color group has to offer alone and in combination.

The best way to include a variety of foods is to eat vegetables and fruits of various colors. Eating a variety of colorful vegetables and fruits is an easy way to achieve the 5 to 9 a day goal. Keep in mind, 5 servings is the minimum, but strive for 5 to 9 servings a day.

For breakfast add ½ cup fresh strawberries or raspberries to your cereal. Take a snack of cherries or an apple with you as walk out the door. Enjoy a can of tomato juice and a red bean burrito for lunch. Include tomato-based pastas for dinner on a regular basis such as the Creamy Tomato-Pepper Pasta recipe that follows. For dessert the Mixed Berry Crisp is a delicious treat.

The 5 A Day Partnership encourages all Americans to eat 5 to 9 servings of vegetables and fruit a day to promote and improve health and reduce risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. For additional information on the 5 A Day For Better Health Program and Partnership, visit
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/5ADay/index.htm
http://www.5aday.gov
http://www.5aday.org*

Red Recipes

Creamy Tomato-Pepper Pasta
Makes 4 servings
Each serving equals two 5 A Day servings.

This creamy pasta dish is nearly as easy as opening a jar. Bright and fresh both in color and flavor, it’s power-packed with fresh tomatoes and red bell pepper.

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
3 cups fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped
¼ cup non-fat half-and-half (available in the dairy section)
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ tsp. black pepper
1 pound dry bowtie or penne pasta (red pasta, if you can find it), cooked and drained

Sauté garlic and onion in oil on medium-low heat until the onion is translucent, splashing in a few drops of water midway through cooking, if necessary, to prevent burning. Add bell pepper and sauté until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat off, let mixture cool down for a minute or two, and gradually stir in half-and-half. Add cheese and pepper, stir, and turn heat to low. Cook until heated again, and serve over pasta.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories 365, Protein 13g, Fat 6g, Calories From Fat 15%, Cholesterol 0mg, Carbohydrates 64g, Fiber 4g, Sodium 86mg.

Jeweled Watermelon Soup
Makes 4 servings.
Each serving equals three 5 A Day servings.

Serve this beautiful soup chilled in shallow bowls as an appetizer or light dessert.

Ingredients

1 pink grapefruit
1 pomegranate
6 cups 1-inch cubes watermelon, seeded
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp. confectioners’ sugar

Peel grapefruit. Slice horizontally into thin, attractive slices; discard (or eat) end pieces. Set aside. Seed pomegranate and discard peel and membrane. Set aside.

Place watermelon, lime juice and sugar in a blender or food processor and puree until very smooth. Pour into shallow bowls and garnish with a grapefruit slice or two and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds. Serve chilled.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories 125, Protein 2g, Fat 1g, Calories From Fat 8%, Cholesterol 0mg, Carbohydrates 30g, Fiber 2g, Sodium 6mg.

Mixed Berry Crisp
Makes 6 servings
Each serving equals two 5 A Day servings.
Source: Produce for Better Health

This is an excellent recipe that uses all the colorful summer berries. Serve it with vanilla ice milk for a richer taste.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 tsp. butter, unsalted
6 cups mixed frozen berries, thawed (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries in any combination)
Vanilla ice milk (optional)

Combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl; blend in butter until mixture is crumbly. Place berries in non-stick baking dish and sprinkle crumb mixture over them. Bake at 375º for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice milk, if desired. This is an official 5 A Day recipe.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories 288, Protein 5g, Fat 5g, Calories From Fat 16%, Cholesterol 14mg, Carbohydrates 59g, Fiber 6g, Sodium 33mg.

*Links to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.

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This page last updated September 02, 2004

United States Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity