black food

Green veggies have long been hailed as the go-to good-for-you food, but dark fruits, veggies, and grains are nutritional powerhouses, too. Their color comes from anthocyanins, plant pigments that may help lower the risks of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
In fact, "black foods have more antioxidants than light-colored foods because of their high pigment content," says Cy Lee, Ph.D., a professor of food chemistry at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Can't find one of these deep-hued superfoods at your local supermarket? Try natural-foods stores and ethnic groceries.

Brown rice is good for you, but black rice is even better. That's because the bran hull contains significantly higher amounts of vitamin E, which bolsters the immune system and protects cells from free radical damage. In fact, black rice contains more anthocyanin antioxidants than blueberries, according to a study from the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center.
For years, we have grown up with our parents telling us to eat our greens, and we all know that the darker the vegetable is, the better it is for us.However, the recent attention being given to black coloured foods is proving to take this old adage to the extreme as more consumers are starting to realise that the blacker the berry the healthier the juice!
Exploring this trend for ebony coloured food, Leathams takes a closer look at the top four black coloured foods that everyone should be eating this spring

Black Beluga® lentils

Apart from tasting great these lentils are loaded with iron and have a high percentage of dietary fibre and folates, which help to produce and maintain new cells in the body. They are low in calories and high in nutritious value offering a great way to protect your heart and balance the blood sugar levels.

Black Rice

Brown rice is good for you, but black rice is even healthier. That’s because the bran hull contains significantly greater amounts of vitamin E, which is known to boost the immune system and protect cells from damage. In fact, black rice contains more anthocyanin antioxidants than blueberries and has the added benefit of less sugar, more fibre and vitamin E antioxidants!

Black Garlic

Black Garlic has been used in Korea for its health benefits for centuries and has recently become more common in the UK. Due to the process it undertakes to age it, it produces twice the antioxidant properties of conventional garlic. Antioxidants offer protection from free radical damage which can cause damage to the cells
Black Barley

As cereal grains go, Black barley is a champion when it comes to good nutrition. This centuries-old grain is crammed with fibre, contains vital vitamins and minerals, is low on fat, and like all plant products, cholesterol-free!
 

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