Black Is the New Green in Your Healthy Diet

We've heard plenty about how green vegetables, sauces and fruits are a must in our daily diets, and how they benefit our health and fitness. But nowadays, dark fruits, vegetables and pulses have started gaining over their green counterparts as nutrition powerhouse. Black coloured healthy foods are full of anthocyanins, plant pigments that help evade health ailments like diabetes and heart disease. In fact, some studies claim that dark coloured or black coloured foods have considerably higher amounts of antioxidants in them, because of the increase in pigment content. Here are some black coloured foods that deserve to be included in our daily diets:

Black tea
Green and white teas hog all the limelight wherever anybody mentions tea and health, but the good old black tea has its perks too. It is full of flavins, which help improve memory and concentration levels. It also helps in fighting muscle soreness after a heavy workout, as mentioned in a study conducted by Rutgers University in New Jersey. Black tea is a refreshing drink made in almost every Indian household and helps in decreasing your risk of heart attack by 20%.

Black lentils and pulses
Black lentils and pulses are full of iron. One cup of black pulses has around 8 milligrams of iron which is nearly half the recommended daily iron intake for women. Black lentils and pulses also improve your immunity. Apart from iron and increased immunity, black pulses also contain plenty of protein and are great for aiding muscle development in the body.

Blackberries
Blackberries are more than just excellent snacks. They're full of antioxidants, are rich in dietary fibre (one cup of berries has almost 25 grams of fiber), and polyphenols, which help in decreasing age related cognitive decline. They help in upping the brain function, as found in research from the Human Nutrition Research Center, Boston.

Black soybeans
Black soybeans are full of isoflavones and alpha-linolenic acid, which is a type of omega-3 fatty acid that helps decrease your risk of heart disease. It also adds to bone health and keeps osteoporosis at bay.

Black rice
In the eternal fight between black, brown, and red rice – black rice does possesses a few advantages. The bran hull in black rice includes considerably higher amounts of vitamin E, which helps strengthening the immune system and protects your skin from sagging as it is full of anti-ageing properties.
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