Paint the kitchen red. Any food that is Red in colour is packed with powerful antioxidants!

The colour of valentine's is vibrant Red and the ever-so-lovely Pink (my mother Kranti Setalvad's favourite colour)! This season of love, I am going to show you all the amazing foods that have these beautiful hues and how each food is beneficial not just to your health but also to the health of the people you love.

Tomato

Tomatoes get their luminous colour from an antioxidant known as lycopene. This antioxidant aids the body to fight off free radicals. Along with lycopene, tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, beta carotene and folate. This fruit, which is usually prepared and treated as a vegetable, is very versatile making it very easy to incorporate into any dish. Since tomatoes have high water content, when eaten raw, they are known to control a person's appetite. Tomatoes are beneficial for heart health, cancer prevention and for good skin.

Red carrot

Rich in vitamin A and beta carotene, this red root vegetable has an abundance of benefits. Consuming carrots promotes an improvement in eyesight, better digestive health and effective diabetes control. Additionally, carrots are known to help the body fight off free radicals which cause cancer. They are easy to incorporate into any diet and are also good in taste. They can be eaten raw or cooked.

Beetroot

Another root vegetable, beets are known to have high amounts of fibre. I always recommend this vegetable to my clients as fibre is essential for any person who wants to have a clear stomach and good gut health. Apart from that, beet is also known to reduce blood pressure, increase exercise capacity and help fight inflammation.

Strawberries

This fruit might be small in size but it packs a big punch of flavour as well as nutrition. They are loaded with important vitamins and minerals like vitamin C and potassium. Not only is this fruit delicious in taste, but it is filled to the brim with health benefits. Improved heart health, blood sugar regulation and cancer prevention are just few of the many different things consumption of strawberries aid in.

Red onions

This vegetable contains antioxidants known as quercetin and flavonoids. Quercetin fights off cancer causing free radicals. Additionally, it is also significant for those with high blood pressure. My favourite part about this vegetable is that it is not boring and packs a lot of flavour no matter how it is eaten. While some may find it spicy, some think it adds an additional flavour to their food.

Red chillies

They say big explosions come in small packages and that couldn't be more accurate for this gorgeous spice. This spice adds a bang of flavour to any food! But that's not all it can do. It is rich in vitamin C, which helps to support your immune system. It alos helps the body combat various different diseases.

Apple

An apple a day can definitely aid digestion as the fibre in it feeds good bacteria in our body. A very important point to note is the apple should be had in the morning half and not post 12 noon as it difficult to absorb and assimilate it post noon due to the pectin present in it. The apple is an amazing liver detoxifier due to the malic acid and phosphorus found in it.

Pomegranate

I love the vibrant deep red hues of the pomegranate. The fruit gets this deep colouration from polyphenols which are powerful plant based antioxidants. The flavonoids that are present in pomegranate have anti-inflammatory properties. Heart diseases and blood pressure both these problems can be resolved by consuming pomegranates.