Introduction to Colour Cuisine | OpenRice Singapore

This week at Simplicity of Somethings, lets walk on onto the rainbow and learn a little more about Colour Cuisine. Colour Cuisine is the brain-child of Chef Clement’s research into the floral cuisine (as mention in the previous article). Through Colour Cuisine, he “hopes to satisfy your food craving in both the healthy and fulfill-your-hunger way.” “We choose what we put on our plates.” quoted Chef Clement, which actually do echo my thoughts. Probably some of us would choose to eat what we love. Probably others would attempt to eat healthy with lots of green. Think healthy equates all green? Not necessary. Truth is, much of healthy eating is of natural food. Organic, unprocessed, familiar? May I challenge you today to accept the notion that healthy eating might just be of eating more natural food. Nature comes with all the different colours. “Each colour contains and represents the certain types of nutrients that the body needs. When we omit any of these colours, our body attempts to replace such nutrients unknowingly” explains Chef Clement. Until we get enough of these colours, there would be much lacking (hence craving). I'm sure that most of you are aware that eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day is very important.But by going one step further to consume fruits and vegetables of a variety of different colors, you can get the best all-around health benefits as each different color fruit and vegetables contains unique health components that are essential to your health. Here's a brief overview of how nutrition through colors can provide health benefits.

Black currants, black salsify, blackberries, blueberries, dried plums, eggplant, elderberries, grape, plums, pomegranates, prunes, purple belgian endive, purple Potatoes, purple asparagus, purple cabbage, purple carrots, purple figs, purple, grapes, purple peppers and raisins are all examples of purple and blue vegetables/fruits. Purple and blue fruits and vegetables can help in supporting retinal health, lowering LDL cholesterol, boosting immune system activity, aiding healthy digestion, improving calcium and other mineral absorption, fighting inflammation, reducing tumor growth while also acting as an anticarcinogens in the digestive tract, and limiting the activity of cancer cells. In short, here are the benefits of a purple and blue diet:

Promote memory function
Help promote urinary tract health
Boost the immune system
Help promote healthy aging
Offer antioxidants for healing and protection
Help reduce the risk of some cancers

Leafy greens! Yes the green foods group is a tough one to get in with picky eaters because of their characteristic bitter taste. But how could you refuse of your body from these good sources of vitamins? Green fruits and vegetables is jam-packed with nutrients. Be sure to up your diet of collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach and etc. Here's a summary of what green foods offer:

Built strong teeth
Help built strong bones
Boost the immune system
Promote eye health
Offer antioxidants for healing and protection
Reduce the risk of certain cancers

Having yellow and oranges in your diet helps to load intake of beta-carotene, which is a primary nutrient responsible for the bright orange and yellow colors in foods. Diets rich in carotenes have been linked with lower risks of certain cancers and a lower risk of heart disease. Cantaloupe, grapefruit, oranges, mangoes, papaya, pineapple, peaches,, bananas, butternut squash, yellow peppers, yellow summer squash and yellow wax beans are some examples of some yellow and orange fruits/vegetables. Before I go into more details of how to whip up a hearty yellow and orange meal in upcoming Simplicity of Somethings write-ups, here are some of the benefits of observing the yellow and oranges diet.

Help promote eye health
Promote heart health
Help to reduce risk of some ancers
Contains antioxidants
Boost immune system

White and tan food covers vegetables/fruits such as bananas, white nectarines, white peaches, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, Jerusalem artickoke, jicama, kohlrabi, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, potatoes (white fleshed), shallots, turnips, white Corn, radishes and more. Other than containing phytochemicals that include allicin which provides antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitical functions, White and Tan foods also provide many other health benefits such as the following:

Boost immune system
Slow cholesterol absorption
Promote heart health
Contain antioxidants
Help to maintain a healthy cholesterol level

Red foods are one of the easiest groups to fulfil. I'm sure you know that there are more red food around than tomato sauce on pizza or on pastas, right? Well, as red vegetables and fruits are high in nutrients such as lycopene, ellagic acid, Quercetin, and Hesperidin, these are some of the advantages of observing a diet rich in red foods:

Antioxidants for healing
Promote heart health
Promote urinary tract health
Improve memory function
Help to reduce risk of certain cancers

In weeks to come, I shall take you on a healthy and colourful adventure so be sure to follow Simplicity of Somethings. Be challenged in your dietary habits as I share more about the specific colours in the weeks to come. I’ve not touched on the dessert part yet (yes, dessert can be healthy too). ;) ---
Simplicity of Somethings is where you go on a healthy, natural adventure with OpenRice Writer Amanda and Chef Clement, owner of Eden Sanctuary, a homely café specializing in healthy, natural delights. More clean options for the health-conscious Other cafes you can chill at