iHaveNet.com
Health - The Dramatic Nutrition in Black Foods | Health Supplements
Online Breaking News Headlines Single Source to Headlines Breaking News Current Events Top Stories. Find out what is happening in News & the World. Check out iHaveNet.com for the latest news & current events articles plus Movie Reviews, Wolfgang Puck Recipes, NFL Previews Analysis and Politics. Your Single Source to News Articles, Current Events & Reviews.
  • HOME
  • WORLD
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Balkans
    • Caucasas
    • Central Asia
    • Eastern Europe
    • Europe
    • Indian Subcontinent
    • Latin America
    • Middle East
    • North Africa
    • Scandinavia
    • Southeast Asia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    • Argentina
    • Australia
    • Austria
    • Benelux
    • Brazil
    • Canada
    • China
    • France
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Hungary
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Ireland
    • Israel
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Korea
    • Mexico
    • New Zealand
    • Pakistan
    • Philippines
    • Poland
    • Russia
    • South Africa
    • Spain
    • Taiwan
    • Turkey
    • United States
  • USA
    • ECONOMICS
    • EDUCATION
    • ENVIRONMENT
    • FOREIGN POLICY
    • POLITICS
    • OPINION
    • TRADE
    • Atlanta
    • Baltimore
    • Bay Area
    • Boston
    • Chicago
    • Cleveland
    • DC Area
    • Dallas
    • Denver
    • Detroit
    • Houston
    • Los Angeles
    • Miami
    • New York
    • Philadelphia
    • Phoenix
    • Pittsburgh
    • Portland
    • San Diego
    • Seattle
    • Silicon Valley
    • Saint Louis
    • Tampa
    • Twin Cities
  • BUSINESS
    • FEATURES
    • eBUSINESS
    • HUMAN RESOURCES
    • MANAGEMENT
    • MARKETING
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • SMALL BUSINESS
    • STOCK MARKETS
    • Agriculture
    • Airline
    • Auto
    • Beverage
    • Biotech
    • Book
    • Broadcast
    • Cable
    • Chemical
    • Clothing
    • Construction
    • Defense
    • Durable
    • Engineering
    • Electronics
    • Firearms
    • Food
    • Gaming
    • Healthcare
    • Hospitality
    • Leisure
    • Logistics
    • Metals
    • Mining
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Newspaper
    • Nondurable
    • Oil & Gas
    • Packaging
    • Pharmaceutic
    • Plastics
    • Real Estate
    • Retail
    • Shipping
    • Sports
    • Steelmaking
    • Textiles
    • Tobacco
    • Transportation
    • Travel
    • Utilities
  • WEALTH
    • CAREERS
    • INVESTING
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • REAL ESTATE
    • MARKETS
    • BUSINESS
  • STOCKS
    • ECONOMY
    • EMERGING MARKETS
    • STOCKS
    • FED WATCH
    • TECH STOCKS
    • BIOTECHS
    • COMMODITIES
    • MUTUAL FUNDS / ETFs
    • MERGERS / ACQUISITIONS
    • IPOs
    • 3M (MMM)
    • AT&T (T)
    • AIG (AIG)
    • Alcoa (AA)
    • Altria (MO)
    • American Express (AXP)
    • Apple (AAPL)
    • Bank of America (BAC)
    • Boeing (BA)
    • Caterpillar (CAT)
    • Chevron (CVX)
    • Cisco (CSCO)
    • Citigroup (C)
    • Coca Cola (KO)
    • Dell (DELL)
    • DuPont (DD)
    • Eastman Kodak (EK)
    • ExxonMobil (XOM)
    • FedEx (FDX)
    • General Electric (GE)
    • General Motors (GM)
    • Google (GOOG)
    • Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)
    • Home Depot (HD)
    • Honeywell (HON)
    • IBM (IBM)
    • Intel (INTC)
    • Int'l Paper (IP)
    • JP Morgan Chase (JPM)
    • J & J (JNJ)
    • McDonalds (MCD)
    • Merck (MRK)
    • Microsoft (MSFT)
    • P & G (PG)
    • United Tech (UTX)
    • Wal-Mart (WMT)
    • Walt Disney (DIS)
  • TECH
    • ADVANCED
    • FEATURES
    • INTERNET
    • INTERNET FEATURES
    • CYBERCULTURE
    • eCOMMERCE
    • mp3
    • SECURITY
    • GAMES
    • HANDHELD
    • SOFTWARE
    • PERSONAL
    • WIRELESS
  • HEALTH
    • AGING
    • ALTERNATIVE
    • AILMENTS
    • DRUGS
    • FITNESS
    • GENETICS
    • CHILDREN'S
    • MEN'S
    • WOMEN'S
  • LIFESTYLE
    • AUTOS
    • HOBBIES
    • EDUCATION
    • FAMILY
    • FASHION
    • FOOD
    • HOME DECOR
    • RELATIONSHIPS
    • PARENTING
    • PETS
    • TRAVEL
    • WOMEN
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • BOOKS
    • TELEVISION
    • MUSIC
    • THE ARTS
    • MOVIES
    • CULTURE
  • SPORTS
    • BASEBALL
    • BASKETBALL
    • COLLEGES
    • FOOTBALL
    • GOLF
    • HOCKEY
    • OLYMPICS
    • SOCCER
    • TENNIS
  • Subscribe to RSS Feeds EMAIL ALERT Subscriptions from iHaveNet.com RSS
    • RSS | Politics
    • RSS | Recipes
    • RSS | NFL Football
    • RSS | Movie Reviews

The Dramatic Nutrition in Black Foods
Christine M. Palumbo, M.B.A., R.D.

HOME > HEALTH

 

Chefs have turned to the chic shade of black to infuse drama across a stark, white dinner plate. They know that the deep, glossy shade of say black quinoa or black rice can do wonders for the visual appeal of a meal. But are there any nutritional rewards that come along with this elegant color palette? It seems like brightly colored fruits and vegetables, such as scarlet tomatoes and verdant spinach get all of the attention in the nutrition world. But you might be surprised to find out that the color black is a calling card for a plant's health-protective nutrient load.

Food scientists discovered that many dark foods are colored by naturally occurring pigments called anthocyanins, which are a class of flavonoids found in plants. These anthocyanins, which also lend blueberries their deep blue color, protect the plant against oxidation, pests, and harmful UV radiation; and some of the health benefits are passed on to you when you bite into their dark flesh. Anthocyanins act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, fending off the development of chronic diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. And that's not all; many black foods contain other phytochemicals (see page 1 "Phytochemicals Fight Disease") such as the polyphenols found in black tea and dark chocolate that offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Emerging evidence indicates that black foods may be even richer in antioxidants than their paler counterparts. For example, in a 2009 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the phytochemical composition of 18 colored seed coat soybeans were analyzed by researchers from the University of Maryland. They discovered that black seed coat soybeans had the highest levels of polyphenols, isoflavones (plant estrogens linked with heart health and cancer protection,) total antioxidant capacity, and cyanidin-3-glucoside -- a potent anthocyanin that scientists believe may be one of the most promising of the bunch.

Let your diet sparkle with more deep-colored foods. Top salads and wraps with black beans; switch to black rice as a side dish, sip on black tea or espresso, treat yourself to a small piece (one ounce) of dark chocolate, use black quinoa in pilafs, and eat blackberries and black popcorn as a healthy, whole plant-based snack.

Paint Your Plate Black

Here's a sampling of our favorite black plant foods:

Black beans, soybeans, chickpeas, lentils

Black rice, quinoa

Blackberries

Black raspberries, cherries, currants

Black garlic, pepper, olives

Black popcorn, seaweed

Black sesame seeds, walnuts

Black tea or espresso (coffee)

Dark chocolate

 

 

  • Beta-Glucans: A Safe Bet for Health
  • The Dramatic Nutrition in Black Foods
  • Researchers Discovering How Body Fat Harms, And How Some Foods Fight Back
  • Support is Slim for Supplements
  • Stress and Overeating: Comfort Foods Ease Nerves, But Add Pounds
  • Warm Up to Nutty Sunflower Seeds
  • Six Steps to Reduce Stress
  • Stay Healthy With These 3 Immune Boosters
  • Are Your Tummy Troubles All in Your Head?
  • Getting to Know Exotic Rambutan
  • Boost Your Mood with This Simple Trick
  • Nutrition Experts Speak Out
  • The Hidden Health Risks of Food Dyes
  • Many Once-Standard Workplace Benefits Disappearing
  • Measuring Blood Pressure: Let A Machine Do it
  • Concern Is Growing That The Elderly Get Too Many Medical Tests
  • 8 Food Safety Myths Busted
  • Mama Mia! Even Pizza Can Fit Into a Healthy Diet
  • How To Beat Insomnia: Tips to Help You Sleep Better
  • Healthy Nutrition for Flexible Joints
  • Harness the Power of Plants in Your Diet
  • Oranges May Be The Ultimate Superfruit
  • You're Not Foolish to Question the Necessity of Aspirin
  • Tests For Biomarkers Could Change Diagnosis, Treatment of Mental Illness
  • Drink Yourself Beautiful With Lemon Water
  • Should You Try a Gluten-free Diet?
  • 5 Colors to Pile on Your Plate
  • Cell Phone Radiation: 5 Ways to Minimize It Now
  • How to Stay Healthy on Vacation
  • Weight-Loss Surgery Can Help -- And Harm -- The Heart
  • How Much Water to Drink? Advice on Water Intake and More
  • Look to Label for Food Allergens
  • Waking Up to Yerba Mate
  • Have Healthy Eating Habits All Day
  • How Healthy Are You?
  • Prevent Deadly Medication Mistakes
  • Why a Higher SPF May Not Be Enough
  • Chinese Medicine Offers New Parkinson's Treatments
  • How the New USDA Guidelines Change Your Meals
  • Berries Are Berry Good For Your Health
  • Eco-eating: Delicious Family-friendly Salads
  • 3 Forgotten Beauty Foods
  • Fab Foods: When it Comes to Knowing What to Eat, Lists Can Be Helpful
  • 'Food Miles' Movement Fueled by Local Food
  • Screening Tests That Can Save Your Life
  • Eat Fiber and Feel Better
  • The Worst and Best Sweets for Your Teeth
  • The Truth About Extreme Smile Makeovers
  • Beat the Bedbug Epidemic
  • Recreational Drugs Go Straight
  • A Smart Guide to Dietary Supplements
  • Normal Weight Obesity - A Growing Concern
  • Fruit and Vegetables: Americans Fall Short
  • Hybrid Fruit: The New Super-food

 

Copyright © 2011 BELVOIR MEDIA GROUP DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

 

Share / Recommend

Search Powered By Google

Google Search   

advertisement

Advertisement

Healthcare Jobs

Healthcare Jobs

Medical Jobs

Advertisement

Advertisement

  • HOME
  • WORLD
  • USA
  • BUSINESS
  • WEALTH
  • STOCKS
  • TECH
  • HEALTH
  • LIFESTYLE
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • SPORTS

 

Health - The Dramatic Nutrition in Black Foods

  • Services:
  • RSS Feeds
  • Shopping
  • Email Alerts
  • Site Map
  • Privacy