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Did you know that the colour in fruit and vegetables come from chemicals called antioxidants? Antioxidants are found predominantly in plants, and in some animals that eat these plants and store a small amount of antioxidants in their own tissues.

While using the sun’s energy via photosynthesis, plants generate simple sugars, then later create complex carbs, fats and proteins. During this process, things can go wrong and free radicals can be created, which are potentially harmful to the plant. Luckily, plants are able to shield themselves from these free radicals, and then absorb them to protect themselves. This shield is made of antioxidants, which will block and “consume” these free radicals.

Antioxidants are typically coloured because of this process – the chemical property that absorbs the free radicals creates colour.

Some common colours are red (lycopene), yellow (beta-carotene), and orange (crytoxanthins), although there are many other shades, and some are completely colourless.

Humans also generate low levels of free radicals throughout our lives. These can be from all sorts of things, however exposure to the sun, exposure to industrial chemicals, or a poorly balanced diet are common factors.

In humans, free radicals cause our tissues to become rigid – similar to ageing, when our bodies become stiff and less agile. Cataracts, hardened arteries, cancer, emphysema, arthritis, and many others forms of illness have been proven to be assisted by uncontrolled free radical damage.

Unfortunately, we don’t produce our own shields against free radicals (like those in plants), as we do not perform photosynthesis, so we must source them from elsewhere. In it’s purest form, our only option is in plants.

It is amazing, and as I grown older I am seeing it more and more – when something is “right”, it just falls into place perfectly. Humans, like most animals, are attracted to bright colours. We were being encouraged to eat these antioxidants since we have been on this planet, without even thinking about it. The only problem is that nowadays we’ve lost that attraction to what is good for us.