Add a splash of purple to your diet! Discover the top 5 superfoods that can transform your health with their rich antioxidant content.

Natural purple foods have numerous health benefits due to their high concentration of strong plant components. Though the color purple is commonly associated with fruits, there are several purple-colored meals to pick from, including vegetables and grains.

Top 5 Purple Foods For Good Health

Here are 5 purple foods that are not only visually stunning but also healthful and delicious.

Balckberries

Blackberries are among the most popular purple fruits. These delicious berries are high in nutritional value and anthocyanin pigments (1). Anthocyanins are polyphenol compounds that give food its purple, blue, or red color. They act as powerful antioxidants in your body, protecting your cells from damage and reducing inflammation, which can lead to negative health outcomes. Anthocyanins improve your health in a variety of ways. Consuming anthocyanin-rich foods, such as blackberries, may protect against a variety of chronic illnesses, including diabetes, certain malignancies, and heart disease. Blackberries also include high levels of polyphenol antioxidants, fiber, and minerals such as vitamin C, folate, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. All these elements make blackberries an extremely nutritious option for a pleasant and sweet treat.

Purple Cabbage

All cabbage varieties are quite healthy. Purple cabbage, often known as red cabbage, includes anthocyanins, which increase the health benefits of this cruciferous vegetable (2). Purple cabbage is high in fiber, provitamin A, and vitamin C. It has strong anti-inflammatory properties due to the large quantities of powerful plant compounds present in its highly colored leaves (3). Purple cabbage can be used in the same way as green cabbage, and it is a great addition to slaws, stews, and stir-fries.

Red Dragon Fruit

Red dragon fruit features beautiful reddish-purple flesh with small black edible seeds. This tropical fruit has a kiwi-like texture and a somewhat sweet taste. Dragon fruits are low in calories but high in fiber, vitamin C, and magnesium, making them an excellent complement to fruit salads and other sweet meals. Red dragon fruits also have a high content of antioxidants. According to a test-tube study, an extract from red dragon fruit may be able to inhibit the growth of certain types of human cancer cells, including breast cancer, as well as promote cancer cell death (4).

Eggplants

Eggplants occur in many different colors, but purple-skinned eggplants are among the most common. Though not as nutrient-dense as some of the other foods on our list, eggplants are strong in antioxidants and manganese, which are necessary for bone health and metabolism (5). Purple eggplant peel contains a high concentration of the anthocyanin nasunin, which has been demonstrated in animal and laboratory research to have anti-inflammatory and heart-protective characteristics (6, 7).

Black Rice or Forbidden Rice

Black rice (Oryza sativa L. indica), sometimes known as “forbidden rice,” is a distinctive rice type that turns a deep purple color when cooked (8). Unlike other types of rice, highly pigmented forbidden rice has a rich source of anthocyanins, which may have cancer-fighting properties. In test tube and animal experiments, black rice anthocyanins were found to suppress cancer cell development and trigger cancer cell death (9, 10). This vibrant grain is a vivid substitute for white or brown rice and may be used in a variety of dishes, including soups, stir-fries, and pilafs.

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Purple-colored foods provide numerous health benefits and add color to your diet. Incorporating purple foods into your diet, such as blackberries, forbidden rice or purple cabbage, will help you get a healthy amount of anthocyanin antioxidants and other minerals. Try including a couple of the fruits, veggies, and grains on this list into your next meal or snack to reap the benefits of these health-promoting foods.

References:

1. Anthocyanidins and anthocyanins: colored pigments as food, pharmaceutical ingredients, and the potential health benefits
   (Khoo HE, Azlan A, Tang ST, Lim SM. Anthocyanidins and anthocyanins: colored pigments as food, pharmaceutical ingredients, and the potential health benefits. Food Nutr Res. 2017 Aug 13;61(1):1361779. doi: 10.1080/16546628.2017.1361779. PMID: 28970777; PMCID: PMC5613902.)




2. Purple Brassica oleracea var. capitata F. rubra is due to the loss of BoMYBL2-1 expression
   (Song H, Yi H, Lee M, Han CT, Lee J, Kim H, Park JI, Nou IS, Kim SJ, Hur Y. Purple Brassica oleracea var. capitata F. rubra is due to the loss of BoMYBL2-1 expression. BMC Plant Biol. 2018 May 8;18(1):82. doi: 10.1186/s12870-018-1290-9. PMID: 29739331; PMCID: PMC5941660.)




3. Anti-inflammatory Effects of Brassica oleracea Var. capitata L. (Cabbage) Methanol Extract in Mice with Contact Dermatitis
   (Lee Y, Kim S, Yang B, Lim C, Kim JH, Kim H, Cho S. Anti-inflammatory Effects of Brassica oleracea Var. capitata L. (Cabbage) Methanol Extract in Mice with Contact Dermatitis. Pharmacogn Mag. 2018 Apr-Jun;14(54):174-179. doi: 10.4103/pm.pm_152_17. Epub 2018 Apr 10. PMID: 29720827; PMCID: PMC5909311.)




4. Pitaya Extracts Induce Growth Inhibition and Proapoptotic Effects on Human Cell Lines of Breast Cancer via Downregulation of Estrogen Receptor Gene Expression
   (Guimarães DAB, De Castro DDSB, de Oliveira FL, Nogueira EM, da Silva MAM, Teodoro AJ. Pitaya Extracts Induce Growth Inhibition and Proapoptotic Effects on Human Cell Lines of Breast Cancer via Downregulation of Estrogen Receptor Gene Expression. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2017;2017:7865073. doi: 10.1155/2017/7865073. Epub 2017 Jul 6. PMID: 28761624; PMCID: PMC5518493.)




5. Manganese in health and disease
   (Avila DS, Puntel RL, Aschner M. Manganese in health and disease. Met Ions Life Sci. 2013;13:199-227. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-7500-8_7. PMID: 24470093; PMCID: PMC6589086.)




6. Cardioprotective properties of raw and cooked eggplant (Solanum melongena L)
   (Das S, Raychaudhuri U, Falchi M, Bertelli A, Braga PC, Das DK. Cardioprotective properties of raw and cooked eggplant (Solanum melongena L). Food Funct. 2011 Jul;2(7):395-9. doi: 10.1039/c1fo10048c. Epub 2011 Jun 10. PMID: 21894326.)




7. Antiangiogenic activity of nasunin, an antioxidant anthocyanin, in eggplant peels
   (Matsubara K, Kaneyuki T, Miyake T, Mori M. Antiangiogenic activity of nasunin, an antioxidant anthocyanin, in eggplant peels. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Aug 10;53(16):6272-5. doi: 10.1021/jf050796r. PMID: 16076105.)




8. The Birth of a Black Rice Gene and Its Local Spread by Introgression
   (Oikawa T, Maeda H, Oguchi T, Yamaguchi T, Tanabe N, Ebana K, Yano M, Ebitani T, Izawa T. The Birth of a Black Rice Gene and Its Local Spread by Introgression. Plant Cell. 2015 Sep;27(9):2401-14. doi: 10.1105/tpc.15.00310. Epub 2015 Sep 11. PMID: 26362607; PMCID: PMC4815089.)




9. Anticancer activities of an anthocyanin-rich extract from black rice against breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo
   (Hui C, Bin Y, Xiaoping Y, Long Y, Chunye C, Mantian M, Wenhua L. Anticancer activities of an anthocyanin-rich extract from black rice against breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Nutr Cancer. 2010;62(8):1128-36. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2010.494821. PMID: 21058201.)




10. Black rice-derived anthocyanins inhibit HER-2-positive breast cancer epithelial-mesenchymal transition-mediated metastasis in vitro by suppressing FAK signaling
    (Zhou J, Zhu YF, Chen XY, Han B, Li F, Chen JY, Peng XL, Luo LP, Chen W, Yu XP. Black rice-derived anthocyanins inhibit HER-2-positive breast cancer epithelial-mesenchymal transition-mediated metastasis in vitro by suppressing FAK signaling. Int J Mol Med. 2017 Dec;40(6):1649-1656. doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2017.3183. Epub 2017 Oct 11. PMID: 29039492; PMCID: PMC5716451.)

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Source-Medindia