Colours of fruits and vegetables

You will get the most health benefits and protection against disease if you eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australian dietary guidelines recommend that adults eat at least five kinds of vegetable and two kinds of fruit every day.

Foods of similar colours generally contain similar protective compounds. Try to eat a rainbow of colourful fruits and vegetables every day to get the full range of health benefits. For example:

Red foods – like tomatoes and watermelon. These contain lycopene, which is thought to be important for fighting prostate cancer and heart disease
Green vegetables – like spinach and kale. These contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which may help protect against age-related eye disease
Blue and purple foods – like blueberries and eggplant. These contain anthocyanins, which may help protect the body from cancer
White foods – like cauliflower. These contain sulforaphane and may also help protect against some cancers.