Plant Pigments for Health

Pigments are molecules that absorb specific wavelength of light and reflect all the others.  A plant pigment is any type of colored substance produced by a plant. The color we see is the net effect of the light reflecting back to our eyes.

A plant pigment is any type of colored substance produced by a plant. In general, any chemical compound which absorbs visible radiation between about 380 nm (violet) and 760 nm (ruby-red) is considered a pigment.

There are many different plant pigments, and they are found in different classes of organic compounds. Plant pigments give color to leaves, flowers, and fruits and are also important in controlling photosynthesis, growth, and development.

Pigments are the substances produced by living organisms that have color resulting from selective absorption of colored lights. The principal plant pigments are chlorophyll, carotenoids, xanthophyll, Anthocyanins, and Betalains.

The primary function of pigments is “Photosynthesis”. Chlorophyll along with several red and yellow pigments help the plants to capture light. The secondary function of these varied colored plant pigments is to attract insects to flowers for pollination. The other functions of these plant pigments include preventing the diseases, fighting against disease causing germs, boosting immunity and healing and repairing the body parts affected by diseases.

Following are the various plant pigments and their role played in maintaining our health:

Chlorophyll:

The word Chlorophyll is a Greek word. “Chloro” means green and “phyllon” means leaf.  It is a primary plant pigment. It is green in color. It is abundant in plant kingdom. This pigment is found in the leaves of the plants. The primary function of this pigment is photosynthesis. It helps to capture light. Their secondary function is to attract insects to flowers. Chlorophyll is found along with red and yellow pigments. They appear green because they absorb yellow and blue light and reflect green light.

This pigment is of two types. They are Chlorophyll a and Chlorophyll b. It serves as a fuel for photosynthesis. It absorbs CO2 and sunlight and converts it into carbohydrate and oxygen. Carbohydrate is the main source of energy in our diet.

Green Vegetables and Fruits   contain Chlorophyll, fiber, lutein, zeaxanthin, calcium, folate, vitamin C, calcium, and Beta-carotene. Green Fruits & Vegetables include, Asparagus, Avocados, Broccoli, Celery, Cucumbers, Green apples, Green beans, Green cabbage, Green grapes, Leafy greens, Lettuce etc.

The nutrients found in these vegetables reduce cancer risks, lower blood pressure ,LDL cholesterol levels, normalize digestion time, support retinal health and vision, fight harmful free-radicals, and boost immune system activity.

Carotenoids:

Carotenoids include red, orange and yellow pigments. They absorb different wavelengths of light not readily absorbed by Chlorophyll. Carotene is the orange pigment found in carrots. Lutein, the yellow pigment is found in pumpkins. Lycopene the red pigment is found in tomatoes.  Carotenoids are present in carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, green leafy vegetables and apricots, pineapples, mangoes and lemons.

Their functions include:

1.    They attract pollinators and seed dispersers.

2.    They absorb excess of light energy.

3.    They are rich with antioxidants and phytonutrients.

4.    They form the substrate for hormones.

Nutrients in Orange, red and Yellow Fruit and Vegetables contain Beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, flavonoids, lycopene, potassium, and vitamin C. These nutrients reduce age-related macular degeneration and the risk of prostate cancer, lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, promote collagen formation and healthy joints, fight against harmful free radicals, encourage alkaline balance, and work with magnesium and calcium to build healthy bones.

Anthocyanins:

The meaning of the word, “Antho” means flower. “kyanos” means blue. It is a water soluble flavonoid pigment. Color appears as red to blue according to pH. They occur in all the tissues of higher plants including leaves, stems, roots and fruits. It is found in cell vacuoles, mostly in flowers and fruits but also in leaves, stems and roots. All berries contain anthocyanin.

Their functions include:

1.    They attract plant pollinators.

2.    They attract seed dispersers.

3.    They repel predators

4.    They protect cells from damage from excess light.

5.    They improve night vision.

6.    They protect our body against heart disease and cancer.

Nutrients in Blue and Purple Fruits and Vegetables include Lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin C, fiber, flavonoids. These nutrients support retinal health, lower LDL cholesterol, boost immune system activity, support healthy digestion, improve calcium and other mineral absorption, fight inflammation, reduce tumour growth, act as an anti-carcinogens in the digestive tract, and limit the activity of cancer cells.

Anthocyanin is present in black currants, blackberries, blueberries, dried plums, eggplant, grapes, plums, pomegranates, prunes, purple cabbage, purple carrots, purple figs, purple grapes and Raisins.

Betalains:

The word Betalains is derived from the Latin name of the common beet (Beta vulgaris), from which Betalains were first extracted. They are water soluble red and yellow pigments. The most common betalain is betanin, also called beetroot red after the fact that it may be extracted from red beet roots. Betanin is a glucoside, and hydrolyses into the sugar glucose and betanidin. It is used as a food coloring agent, and the color is sensitive to pH. Other betalains known to occur in beets are isobetanin, probetanin, and neobetanin.

Their functions are:

They are antioxidants, fight against free radicals and keep them under control.

They protect our body against heart disease, various cancers, ulcers and liver damage.

Nutrients in Red Fruits and Vegetables include Lycopene, Quercetin, and Hesperidin. These nutrients reduce the risk of prostate cancer, lower blood pressure, reduce tumour growth and LDL cholesterol levels, scavenge harmful free-radicals, and support joints in arthritis cases.

Types of Red Fruits & Vegetables are Beets, Blood oranges, Cherries, Cranberries, Guava, Papaya, Pink grapefruit, Pink/Red grapefruit, Pomegranates, Radishes, Raspberries, Red apples, Red bell peppers, Red chili peppers, Red grapes, Red onions, Red pears, Red peppers, Red potatoes, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Tomatoes, and Watermelon.

Xanthophyll:

The word Xanthophyll is derived from a Greek word. “Xanthos” meaning yellow and “phyllon” meaning leaf. They are yellow pigments.  Xanthophyll pigments are found in the leaves of the green plants. The molecular structure of Xanthophyll is similar to Carotene. Carotenes are hydrocarbons with no oxygen atoms but Xanthophyll contain oxygen atoms. So Xanthophyll pigments are oxygenated carotenoids.  The oxygen atom present in Xanthophyll helps in accepting or donating electrons.

The pigment Xanthophyll is a constituent of compounds/pigments like lutein, Zeaxanthin, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, flavoxanthin, and α and β cryptoxanthin. The main function of Xanthophyll is to protect plants from over exposure to sunlight by absorbing the excess light energy as heat. Carotenes are more orange while Xanthophylls are more yellow in color. Carotene and Xanthophyll plant pigments play a vital role in the metabolism of plants. 

The fruits and vegetables containing Xanthophyll pigments are green leafy vegetables like spinach, cabbage, broccoli, kale, peas, green beans, corn, beets, carrots, oranges. These vegetables and fruits contain phytonutrients capable of preventing and fighting cancer naturally. Those who consume the fruits and vegetables containing Xanthophylls will have lower risk of developing various types of cancer.

The Xanthophyll pigments fight and prevent cancer by reducing DNA damage, increasing DNA repair.  They boost the immune system so that the body is capable of killing the cancer cells and this reduces inflammation.

Fruits and vegetables are variedly colored because of the different types of pigments present in them. Each different color fruit and vegetables contains unique health components that are essential to our health. Fruits and vegetables are very important to our health because they are whole foods, created by nature, that are rich with large amount of nutrients.  The plant pigments present in fruits and vegetables fight against even the deadly disease cancer. By eating fruits and vegetables of a variety of different colors, one can get the best all-around health benefits. 

Eat Healthy! Live Healthy!! Stay Healthy!!!