6 Health Benefits Of Eating Purple Vegetables And Fruits 

Reduce inflammation 

Numerous studies have shown that purple foods have an anti-inflammatory effect, due to the high levels of anthocyanin in them. This means that purple vegetables could be good for helping with chronic conditions such as inflammatory arthritis, as well as preventing the development of other immune dysfunctions and life limiting illnesses. 

Healthy hearts 

Anthocyanins from purple fruit and vegetables are believed to help stop blood pressure from rising, as well as to decrease cholesterol levels. This reduces pressure in the arteries, which in turn helps to keep the heart in good condition. Purple fruit and veggies are rich in nutrients and naturally low in fat, so a diet packed with these is a good way to maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk of heart disease too.

Glowing skin 

Purple fruit and vegetables help to promote blood circulation and cellular health, which is great for our skin. Anthocyanins have a healing effect on our cells, and can indirectly help repair damaged skin. They also have anti-bacterial qualities, helping our bodies to heal wounds. All in all they can keep our skin looking youthful and glowing! 

Our favourite purple vegetables and fruit: 

• Blackberries. Like many purple coloured foods, blackberries are full of beneficial phytochemicals, vitamin C, K and manganese. 
• Blackcurrants. A fantastic source of vitamin C, and pretty good at providing some of your daily iron needs too. 
• Beans. Purple, green and yellow varieties are available and can be grown in the spring and summer across the country. A great source of protein, and purple beans are much easier to spot amongst the green foliage! 
• Beetroot. A good source of fibre, and proven to reduce systolic blood pressure. This root vegetable is quite rightly a staple of many vegetable patches. 
• Blueberries. Widely regarded as a super food, blueberries are full of vitamin C and antioxidants. They’re deliciously sweet too!   
• Cabbage. A round head of red cabbage contains high levels of beneficial glucosinolates as well as anthocyanins. 
• Carrots. Orange carrots are easy to find, but purple ones taste just the same and have the added benefit of containing those all important anthocyanins. 
• Cauliflower. Try eating purple cauliflower instead of white - it even stays purple when cooked! 
• Eggplant. A low carbohydrate way to receive high levels of fibre, folate and manganese. 
• Grapes. A delicious fruit which is easy to snack on. Choose seedless purple grapes over their green relatives, for extra goodness. 
• Kale. Containing incredible levels of vitamins C and K, choose a red variety and find a recipe which calls for it to be used raw, which will retain much of the goodness. 
• Kohlrabi. This lesser known brassica can be purple or green and is believed to be particularly good at reducing inflammation. 
• Lettuce and leaves. There are lots of leafy purple varieties available, including some spicier ones, such as bok choy, often used in Asian and Chinese dishes.  
• Onions. Red onions are an easy way to add purple vegetables to your diet and taste slightly sweeter than their brown counterparts. 
• Potatoes. Yes, really, potatoes can be purple as well as white! They have the same flavour, but with all the added benefits that purple vegetables have. 
• Purple-sprouting broccoli. All broccoli contains rich levels of vitamins B, C, K, but purple varieties also contain anthocyanins. Steam or stir-fry them to retain as much goodness as possible. 
• Raspberries. There is so much goodness in raspberries that it’s hard to know where to start - there are all sorts of phytochemicals in them, as well as very high levels of vitamin C and manganese. 
• Sweet potatoes. A great purple root vegetable! Grow purple-fleshed varieties to benefit from the increased amounts of anthocyanin. They’re also rich in vitamins A, C, B6 and manganese.