A Review of the Science of Colorful, Plant-Based Food and Practical Strategies for “Eating the Rainbow”

Table 1

Color density index (CDI) chart.

#	Plant food	Red; (lycopene)	Orange; (beta-carotene)	Yellow; (lutein/zeaxanthin)	Green; (folates)	Purple; (flavonoids)
1	Acorn squash		X	X	X	N/A
2	Almonds		X	X	X	X
3	Amaranth		X	X	X	N/A
4	Apricots		X	X	X	X
5	Artichokes		X	X	X	X
6	Arugula		X	X	X	X
7	Asparagus		X	X	X	X
8	Avocado (all commercial varieties)		X	X	X	X
9	Bananas		X	X	X	X
10	Basil (dried)	X	X	X	X
11	Beets		X		X	X
12	Black beans				X	X
13	Blackberries		X	X	X	X
14	Blueberries		X	X	X	X
15	Broccoli		X	X	X	X
16	Brussels sprouts		X	X	X	X
17	Butternut squash		X		X	N/A
18	Cabbage		X	X	X	X
19	Cantaloupe		X	X	X	X
20	Carrots	X	X	X	X	X
21	Casaba melon			X	X	N/A
22	Cashews			X	X	X
23	Cauliflower			X	X	X
24	Celery		X	X	X	X
25	Chinese cabbage (pak choi)		X	X	X	X
26	Chinese cabbage (pe-tsai)		X	X	X	X
27	Chives		X	X	X	X
28	Cilantro (coriander)		X	X	X	X
29	Cranberries		X	X	X	X
30	Cucumbers		X	X	X	X
31	Eggplant		X	X	X	X
32	Endive		X		X	X
33	Feijoa	X	X	X	X	N/A
34	Fennel		X	X	X	X
35	Figs		X	X	X	X
36	Flaxseed			X	X	N/A
37	Fuji apples		X	X	X	X
38	Gala apples		X	X	X	X
39	Garlic		X	X	X	X
40	Golden delicious apples		X	X	X	X
41	Granny smith apples		X	X	X	X
42	Grapefruit	X	X	X	X	X
43	Green and red grapes		X	X	X (especially green)	X
44	Green hot chili peppers		X	X	X	X
45	Green peas		X	X	X	X
46	Green peppers		X	X	X	X
47	Green snap beans		X	X	X	X
48	Guava	X	X		X	X
49	Hazelnuts		X	X	X	X
50	Honeydew melon		X	X	X	X
51	Iceberg lettuce		X	X	X	X
52	Jalapeño peppers		X	X	X	X
53	Jicama		X		X	N/A
54	Kale		X	X	X	X
55	Kiwi		X	X	X	X
56	Kohlrabi		X		X	X
57	Leeks		X	X	X	X
58	Lentils		X		X	X
59	Mango	X	X	X	X	X
60	Medjool dates		X	X	X	X (deglet noor)
61	Millet (cooked)		X	X	X	N/A
62	Nectarines		X	X	X	X
63	Okra		X	X	X	X
64	Onion		X	X	X	X
65	Oranges (all commercial varieties)		X	X	X	X
66	Oregano (dried)		X	X	X	X
67	Papayas	X	X	X	X	X
68	Parsley		X	X	X	X
69	Pear		X	X	X	X
70	Pecans		X	X	X	X
71	Pine nuts (dried)		X	X	X	X
72	Pineapple		X		X	X
73	Pistachios		X	X	X	X
74	Plums		X	X	X	X
75	Pumpkin		X	X	X	X
76	Pumpkin seeds (dried)		X	X	X	N/A
77	Quinoa		X	X	X	N/A
78	Radishes		X	X	X	X
79	Raspberries		X	X	X	X
80	Red cabbage	X	X	X	X	X
81	Red delicious apples		X	X	X	X
82	Red hot chili peppers		X	X	X	N/A
83	Red lentils	N/A	X	N/A	X	N/A
84	Red peppers		X	X	X	X
85	Red potatoes		X	X	X	X
86	Romaine lettuce		X	X	X	X
87	Russet (white) potatoes			X	X	X
88	Rutabagas	X	X	X	X	X
89	Savoy cabbage		X	X	X	X
90	Scallions		X	X	X	X
91	Sea vegetables (kelp)		X		X	N/A
92	Serrano peppers		X	X	X	X
93	Sesame seeds (dried)		X		X	N/A
94	Shallots		X	X	X	N/A
95	Snap peas		X	X	X	N/A
96	Sour red cherries		X	X	X	X
97	Soybeans, mature seeds		X		X	X
98	Spaghetti squash		X		X	N/A
99	Spinach		X	X	X	X
100	Spirulina		X		X	N/A
101	Strawberries		X	X	X	X
102	Summer squash		X	X	X	X
103	Sunflower seeds (dried)		X		X	N/A
104	Sweet cherries		X	X	X	X
105	Sweet potato, raw		X		X	X
106	Swiss chard		X	X	X	X
107	Tangerines		X	X	X	X
108	Tomatoes	X	X	X	X	X
109	Walnuts (English)		X	X	X	X
110	Watercress		X	X	X	X
111	Watermelon	X	X	X	X	X
112	Yellow peaches		X	X	X	X
113	Yellow peppers	N/A	X	N/A	X	X
114	Yellow plantain		X	X	X	N/A
115	Zucchini		X	X	X	X

The table is in the alphabetical order and contains many of the commonly consumed vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, and spices. One or two main phytonutrients were used to represent the colors: lycopene for red, beta-carotene for orange, lutein and zeaxanthin for yellow, folate for green, and flavonoids for purple. The majority of information comes from the USDA National Nutrient Database [29], with some of the flavonoid information derived from the USDA Database for Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods 3.1 [47]. The latter database is not as extensive as the former, so some of the foods on this table were not included in that database. These foods have an “N/A” listed under the “purple” column. There were also a few foods for which the USDA National Nutritional Database did not list the lycopene, beta-carotene, lutein, and/or zeaxanthin content, which corresponds to an N/A listed for those foods. Finally, the table only designates that there is some quantity of these phytonutrients but does not designate which are highest in the color nor which of the colors is more dominant for the particular color. Unless designated, the results are for the raw version of the foods.