Nursing a bad strep throat, I cooked a big pot of ‘purple soup’ today.   My ‘purple soup’ consists of 1 huge beet root, half a head of organic purple cabbage, 6 carrots, a big chunk of lean pork and several chicken feet.

My kids will have ‘purple soup’ for dinner tonight together with oven-grilled fish. I ain’t going to sweat myself in the kitchen tonight. The bad strep throat is causing me a throbbing head too.

This was my lunch today and I could not be more satisfied with this bowl of goodness. Now, who  says that healthy food often tastes bland? This bowl of antioxidants-packed soup tasted so good and was full of sweetness from all the vegetables.

Food For Thought:

1. Purple pigments in some fruits and vegetables provide antioxidant effects that may protect your brain.
Purple fruits and vegetables are grouped with blue foods in the blue-purple category, and all contain varying amounts of a category of compounds called anthocyanins. These give purple foods their deep, distinctive colors and also are responsible for their reputed health benefits, including potential protective properties for your brain.

2. Purple foods kill cancer
The resveratrol found in purple grapes, cranberries, blueberries, bilberries, and, of course, red wine and grape juice can inhibit the spread of colorectal cancer in animal studies. Other promising studies also show that resveratrol can induce cancer cell death in cases of prostate, breast, skin, liver, lung and blood cancers. The curcumin in turmeric seems to boost its anti-cancer activity so have a glass of pinot noir (the type of wine highest in resveratrol) next time you have curry.

3. Purple foods are ulcer-fighters
A 2011 study found that anthocyanins from blackberries reduced stomach ulcer formation in rats. Researchers believe this is because the antioxidants in blackberries prevent oxidation and boost the activity of other important antioxidants, such as glutathione, that are naturally present in the body.

4. Purple foods are good for your liver
Black rice, which has more anthocyanins per gram than blueberries, is a delicious antioxidant grain that has been found to reduce damage to the liver incurred by excessive alcohol intake.

5. Purple foods are good for the heart
Black currants can lower “bad” LDL cholesterol by up to 13 percent while raising “good” HDL cholesterol. Black currants and bilberries have more anthocyanins than blueberries. Wild raw berries have higher antioxidant content than fresh raw berries or frozen varieties.

6. Purple foods prevent urinary tract infections
Vegetables such as purple cauliflower, purple carrots and purple cabbage contain the same plant pigment, anthocyanin, that is responsible for the UTI-fighting power of cranberries. Lab studies show that anthocyanin compounds fight H. pylori, the bacteria that promotes stomach ulcers and urinary tract infections.

The above Food For Though information was extracted from several health websites.