Winter Whites: What’s in a Color?

As the New Year approaches, a common resolution is to avoid white foods. Instead, we are encouraged to “eat the rainbow” and fill our plates with colorful vegetables and fruit. In plant foods, color indicates nutritional value because of phytochemicals, naturally occurring chemical compounds that may reduce inflammation, strengthen immune function and help to regulate hormones (1). If colorful produce has health-promoting properties, in theory vegetables and fruit without color should not have those benefits. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. This New Year let’s not be so quick to rule out all white ingredients.

Colorless vegetables including garlic, cauliflower, endive, onion, fennel, jicama, kohlrabi, Jerusalem artichokes, mushrooms, potatoes, daikon, turnips and parsnips are packed with a diversity of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals. Some of these powerful nutrients include vitamin C, potassium, fiber and allicin.

• Vitamin C is not just found in citrus foods. According to the USDA, 1 cup of cauliflower has 85% of the vitamin C we need in a day! Other white vegetables with vitamin C are endive, jicama, kohlrabi, potatoes, daikon, turnips and parsnips.

• Potassium is a mineral found in abundance in white vegetables such as potatoes, fennel, kohlrabi and parsnips. Increasing the amount of potassium-rich foods in the diet (in addition to decreasing salt intake) may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. Eating more foods with potassium may also reduce the risk of kidney stones and may increase bone density (2).

• Fiber is a carbohydrate found in plant foods that our bodies cannot digest. Think of fiber as the skeleton of plant foods. Though we don’t digest it, fiber plays a critical role in maintaining digestive health, promoting fullness and decreasing the risk of many diseases. In addition to other plant foods like fruit, whole grains and legumes, white vegetables are important sources of fiber. For more information, read our blog on why we should eat more foods with fiber.

• Allicin, a colorless phytochemical found in garlic and onions, may have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Allicin is also being studied for a potential role in improving risk factors for heart disease (3). Some flavonoids, another group of phytochemicals, also do not contribute color to foods.

Check out these ideas for preparing winter white ingredients in seasonal dishes.

• Mix cauliflower florets with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper for a simple vegetable side dish.

• Sauté sweet onion and rosemary in olive oil before adding chickpeas and broth. Simmer these ingredients together before puréeing them in batches to make a warm, comforting chickpea soup.

• Pair chopped endive with beets, arugula and shallot vinaigrette for a simple salad.

Sources:

(1) American Institute for Cancer Research. Phytochemicals: The Cancer Fighters in Your Foods. Available from: https://www.aicr.org/reduce-your-cancer-risk/diet/elements_phytochemicals.html

(2) National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. Potassium Fact Sheet for Consumers. March 2019. Available from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/pdf/factsheets/Potassium-Consumer.pdf

(3) Oregon State University Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Garlic and Organosulfur Compounds. Available from: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/food-beverages/garlic#disease-prevention