Black Superfoods: Black Is The New Green

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.

Comments

[RedFlatShoe]

02:40 PM on 03/25/2011

Too bad it takes FOREVER to cook. One thing you don't do in Asian household is never ever f*-up the rice.

[Voyle Glover]

12:52 PM on 03/22/2011

Now that's something I didn't know. I'll remember that - but will seek organic stuff

[dreamgirl99]

06:57 PM on 03/21/2011

Soy is toxic unless fermented. SOY OIL included. Over time there can be great damage to the thyroid. Soy milk, soy cheese, soy "meat" , all are indigestible. MISO, is a dark superfood. Fermented to make it digesible.

[BoFo]

02:14 AM on 03/22/2011

And digestible, too.

[BoFo]

01:23 AM on 03/21/2011

Strange headline. Conjures up an image of Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Fiddy, and 2pac chowing down on some serious tofu. And don't go taking this the wrong way. Just sayin'.

[Phillip Barnhart]

11:57 PM on 03/20/2011

Black rice and wild rice are two very different things, no matter what clip art you use for the article. True black rice are heirloom varieties such as Indonesian and so-called "Forbidden" chinese black rice. It is this black rice, not wild rice (which is what is pictured), that the study refers to.

[BlueZoo]

09:28 PM on 03/20/2011

Every year, we get these "in" colors of foods and every year people fall for it. Ridiculous! Natural foods of all colors are healthy foods when eaten in moderation.

[Vivian Alicia Evans]

03:40 PM on 03/21/2011

My thoughts exactly. wished I could fan you again. I'm getting really tired of the glamorization of one health food over another when all one needs to remember is: in all things moderation.

[nailinpalinnow]

08:05 PM on 03/20/2011

check out Solanum nigrum, a delicious sweet pea size berry that grows like a weed. Member of the nightshade family but the whole plant is proven healthy to eat - berries as long as they are ripe. The leaves are eaten in India and Africa as a cooked green. But the lovely black berries are very sweet and high in antioxidents and are effective medicinally on liver ailments! They can also be used as a natural dye because they are so pigmented.

A wonderfood usually dismissed as a weed by westerners. In fact the common names are wonderberry and houndberry. Enjoy!

[Kathy8185]

04:59 PM on 03/20/2011

I love to eat black beans and lentils. I use it in any chili recipe I make. My favorite chili recipe is
http://www.chili-everyway.com/easy-beef-recipes.html

I substitute black beans for the kidney beans

I also like to make these black bean croquettes. It is the best black bean recipe and great for a meatless Monday
http://www.chili-everyway.com/black-bean-recipe.html

[mssreader]

02:21 PM on 03/21/2011

kathy, black beans are great in chili. I make often minus the meat. And with brown rice they are delicious.

[TomCinIllinois]

04:50 PM on 03/20/2011

Don't forget dark chocolate.

[BlueZoo]

09:26 PM on 03/20/2011

I'm addicted to unsweetened and bittersweet dark chocolate and the higher the cocoa content, the better! I eat one square every night and revel in it! It's my guiltiest pleasure!

[eva07]

12:23 AM on 03/21/2011

no, you are only working on your health..and enjoying it..no guilt..

[mssreader]

02:22 PM on 03/21/2011

BlueZoo, I had a friend who also ate one square of the darker the better chocolate every night. It shouldn't be a guilty pleasure if you eat well otherwise.

[eva07]

11:17 PM on 03/20/2011

and coffee..

[BlueZoo]

11:43 PM on 03/20/2011

Ooooooooooh, YES! Definitely coffee!

[AbeMartin]

04:31 PM on 03/20/2011

Ahh.  That explains the old saying, "Guiness (stout) is good for you."  It also calls to mind an episode of George Dzundza's old 1980's tv comedy "Open All Night" when he started selling "Black Slurpees."

[Soule23]

04:26 PM on 03/20/2011

What about black sweet cherries?

[Walt Padington]

04:12 PM on 03/20/2011

i believe the term is african american foods...

[roselense]

05:02 PM on 03/20/2011

What?????

[tapscotter]

05:40 PM on 03/22/2011

LOL!

[Chuck Bluestein]

03:52 PM on 03/20/2011

To have the most healthy diet, you want to eat a variety of colors. Not only does that include the greens, but it also includes the reds. Tomatoes and watermelons are red because of the lycopene in them. This phytochemical, lycopene, is great for cardiovascular health and preventing cancer.

Then there are the carotenoids (more phytochemicals-- like the natural medicines in plant foods). These include the foods that are bright yellow and orange like carrots. These are also good for cardiovascular health and preventing cancer. All carotenoids help to prevent heart attack and heart disease by inhibiting the formation of harmful LDL cholesterol.

Then black foods also have phytochemicals that are great for health and add a black color to your foods. But the best source of anthocyanins is berries. Anthocyanins are probably the best for cardiovascular health and one of the best for preventing cancer.

Webmd.com says "Anthocyanins are responsible for the red, purple, and blue hues in many fruits, vegetables, and flowers." There are many berries that are red, purple and blue like strawberries, cranberries, acai berries and blueberries. http://bit.ly/card-io Blackberries are a very dark purple to black color. The black lentils, black beans and black soybeans are a great source of protein, unlike the berries.

[Vivian Alicia Evans]

03:32 PM on 03/20/2011

once again, everything in moderation. All healthy foods are needed for a balanced diet. Black food is just on component of a healthy diet.

[LALC]

03:26 PM on 03/20/2011

Black rice is wild ricea a seed from certain types of grasses that grow wild in marshlands. It comes from the Minnesota area & up into Canada. Native Americans also popped it sort of like popcorn.

[LALC]

03:27 PM on 03/20/2011

wild rice NOT ricea

[nevernot]

04:31 PM on 03/20/2011

But they're still both types of grasses.