Are you eating your purple?

 

PURPLE is the new green that could keep Britons healthy – yet shoppers remain blissfully unaware of the blackcurrant benefit.

 

Even celebrities across the globe are turning to the super fruit as a way of beating ageing, preventing cancer and alleviating the symptoms of asthma. Singing superstar Mariah Carey will reportedly ONLY eat purple foods after nutritionists highlighted their ability to boost the immune system.

 

 Scientists have found British blackcurrants contain high levels of anthocyanins that guard against joint inflammation, eye strain, kidney stones, cardiovascular disease and a host of other conditions, yet despite the staggering benefits of eating purple fruit most shoppers still believe 'greens' are the healthy option.

 

A recent survey undertaken by the Blackcurrant Foundation, which set out to uncover the ‘coloured’ eating habits of the UK population has revealed that over half of all Brits (53%) consider ‘green’ foods to be the healthiest colour in their diet, when in fact ‘purple’ contains a whole host of naturally beneficial components to help the body fight off an array of diseases.

 

British blackcurrants are renowned and bred for their deep purple colour, which indicates a high level of anthocyanins (disease fighting antioxidants) that guard against ageing, joint inflammation, eyestrain, kidney stones, cardiovascular disease, cancer and urinary tract infections. Having been heralded the number one superfruit due to its outweighing health credentials, the Foundation were keen to evaluate whether the UK population were taking the colour of their diet seriously and dispel the myth that only ‘green is best!’

 

Whilst a third of UK adults were aware that ‘purple’ foods were significantly healthier than other colours, only a mere 14% of the people surveyed, identified purple as being beneficial to health compared to 53% for ‘green’ and 24% for ‘red’.?Half of the 2,000 respondents interviewed, admitted to consuming ‘green’ food on a daily basis believing it to be good for them, compared to an alarming 8% who make it their mission to ‘get their purple’. ‘Green’ also came out top in the poll to determine the most commonly consumed coloured fruit and vegetable, closely followed by ‘white/brown’, ‘orange/yellow’, ‘red’ and lastly….the long forgotten ‘purple’.

 

A whopping 60% of Brits admitted that they don’t ever consider the colour of their trolley to be important and would never think to link colour to the health benefits of food! Although in light of the number of people dropping ‘green’ items into their shopping bags, could it be that these consumers are subconsciously doing their bit for health without even realising it?

 

Jo Hilditch, Chairperson of the Blackcurrant Foundation commented, “Whilst we knew that many people were unaware of the benefits of eating and drinking a colourful diet, these results are still staggering. It is promising to see that so many people are eating green fruits and vegetables, however consumers need to make sure they are getting a full variety of colour. Incorporating more purple foods and drinks such as blackcurrants or blackcurrant juice will certainly help to create a varied diet whilst simultaneously providing a range of health benefits.”

 

Leading Nutritionist Juliette Kellow commented: “It is imperative that we eat a rainbow of colours when it comes to the consumption of fruit and vegetables in our daily diet to ensure that we are incorporating the most beneficial food components to keep us healthy. It is interesting that ‘green’ was so commonly associated with being healthy, and that very few consumers were aware of how effective ‘purple’ foods can be! I certainly hope to see a change in consumer shopping behaviour with the inclusion of more colours in the trolley including purple fruit and vegetables!”

 

 So what are we missing out on?

 

British blackcurrants are naturally rich in Vitamin C content to help boost the immune system and fight off the symptoms often associated with the common cold. By incorporating blackcurrants and other deep purple foods into your diet, you are enabling your body to protect itself against a wide array of diseases and infections and fight back when under attack.