The fruits of garden crops contain just a huge amount of all kinds of vitamins and minerals. Also, the pulp of vegetables also includes phytonutrients that are very useful for human health. The combination of these substances, among other things, determines the color of the fruits of a garden plant. In garden vegetables, for example, the anthocyanins belonging to the glycoside group are responsible for the purple tint.
What are useful
A feature of anthocyanins is that they can have any color. The shade of these substances depends primarily on the acidity of the medium in which they are located. Alkali makes anthocyanins yellow-green. In an acidic environment they turn red, and in a neutral one they turn purple. Intermediate options can also give all shades of pink.
Anthocyanins can bring enormous benefits to the human body. These substances slow down aging, are distinguished by antitumor activity, and are able to prevent vascular and heart diseases. Also, eating blue and purple vegetables positively affects immunity and brain activity.
The use of anthocyanins for the human body is so great that breeders even bothered to breed unusual purple varieties of vegetables for which this color is uncharacteristic. For example, today you can grow cabbage, carrots, onions of this shade in the garden. Everyone knows the names of purple vegetables and most gardeners know about them.
Eggplant
It is this variety of garden culture with purple fruits that is currently the most popular among summer residents. Owners of suburban areas grow eggplants almost as often as potatoes, tomatoes and peppers.
This purple vegetable belongs to the nightshade family and is cultivated by gardeners in most cases by the seedling method. In addition to purple anthocyanins, eggplants contain substances that are useful for the human body, such as, for example:
vitamins C, K, B6;
niacin and thiamine;
copper, phosphorus;
folic acid;
manganese, potassium.
Eggplants are valued in dietary nutrition, among other things, and for the fact that they do not contain cholesterol, as well as saturated fats.
Purple potato
In this representative of the nightshade family, the main value is not the fruits, but the tubers. Potato varieties with a peel that has a purple hue have been cultivated by summer residents for several decades. For example, the popular early Sineglazka potato has this color.
However, in recent years, potato seed has also appeared on sale with a rich purple hue, which not only has a peel, but also a pulp. Such varieties were bred by crossing domestic varieties with wild tubers from South America. This bright purple vegetable is not genetically modified. The pulp of such tubers does not lose its purple color even after heat treatment.
The pulp of such potatoes, among other things, includes vitamins C, E and carotenoids. It is useful to eat it, for example, for people with impaired vision and suffering from atherosclerosis.
Beet
This root crop also has a rich purple hue. Most gardeners grow it in their plots. Healthy beets can be, because it contains in their composition substances such as:
cellulose;
vitamins C, A, B6, B9;
antioxidants.
Eating beets is useful for almost everyone. But in particular, a good decision to include this root crop in your diet will be for people who lead an active lifestyle, and athletes. Beet-based dishes contribute to the rapid recovery of strength after physical exertion.
Purple bow
There are many varieties of this vegetable with heads of this color. In addition to anthocyanins, onion pulp contains vitamins B, C, E, as well as useful trace elements such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus, chlorine, magnesium, sodium. Also, this purple vegetable contains a large amount of sulfur, which makes it simply an indispensable product for dieters.
Fresh onion juice can be treated, for example, diseases such as colds, gastritis, onychomycosis, atherosclerosis, high or low cholesterol. A decoction of this vegetable is useful for delays in the menstrual cycle, for inflammation of the oral cavity, etc.
Among the pluses of the purple onion are summer residents, in addition, that it is stored better than usual. Of course, in all kinds of dishes such a vegetable looks more attractive.
Red cabbage
Such a vegetable is also quite popular among gardeners. Of course, more often summer residents still grow white cabbage. But red-headed in the gardens in Russia can be seen quite often. The shade of the leaves of such a cabbage is precisely saturated purple.
Heads of this variety, in addition to anthocyanins, contain in their composition:
potassium, magnesium, iron;
iodine, copper;
vitamins of group B, K, E.
Like ordinary, red cabbage can be used in the preparation of second courses, first, in various kinds of preparations.
Purple carrots
Russian gardeners began to grow such a vegetable in their suburban areas relatively recently. Many gardeners consider it an innovation. However, the researchers found that purple varieties of carrots were grown by the ancient Egyptians. Moreover, the orange root crops of this variety familiar to modern summer residents were bred relatively recently - in the 17th century. n e. in the Ottoman Empire.
Like other purple vegetables, such carrots contain many vitamins and minerals. For example, its composition includes such rare substances as vanadium, aluminum, molybdenum, lithium.
Fruits and berries
Of course, Russian summer residents grow not only purple vegetables in their suburban areas. And fruits of this color, as well as berries, are very popular among domestic gardeners. For example, in summer cottages you can often see:
blueberries;
plum;
irgu;
blackberry, etc.
Fruits and berries of this color are also, of course, very healthy. With their help, the development of many diseases can be prevented. They are also often used for treatment in traditional medicine.