I'm An Expert In Plant-Based Pigments: Eat These 6 Colors For Top-Notch Nutrients

Pretty cool, no? And while it's difficult for Minich to pinpoint her all-time favorite pigments ("That's like a mother saying, 'I have a favorite child,'' she quips), she does have a few heavy hitters in each category. Find them below: 

"Pomegranate serves multiple roles, and it has so many different actives," Notes Minich. Consider it a reason to add some seeds into your smoothie or sprinkled on top of a salad. 

Carrot skins and carrot tops contain tons of nutrients—namely, vitamin C, chlorophyll, magnesium, and fiber—and you can easily add them to a ton of recipes: pesto, chimichurri, veggie burgers, and more. As for the serving of fat, "We need fat in order to optimize the carotenoids from carrots2," Minich explains. But it doesn't take too much legwork: It's as easy as drizzling some extra-virgin olive oil over your salad or serving up some wild salmon alongside a side dish of roasted carrots. 

Lemon juice has significant amounts of vitamin C, which plays a key role in immune health3, fending off inflammation, but the peel contains as much as five to 10 times more vitamins than the juice itself4. The zest also has compounds called salvestrol Q40 and limonene, which are known to have antioxidant properties5. Says Minich, "If you can get a little bit of lemon zest, you bring in all those bioflavonoids and essential oils. [It's] incredible." 

That's because the tea contains a specific type of flavonoid, called epigallocatechin gallate6 (EGCG), which has been shown to relieve inflammation7, improve insulin sensitivity8, and even help manage the risk of some cancers9: "You can get a substantial amount of these protective phytonutrients just from tea." Quality matters, of course, so make sure you're sipping on some organic, sustainably sourced, and packaged tea. 

In fact, studies have shown that blueberries could foster greater brain activity11, and daily consumption for 12 weeks helped improve memory in elderly adults12. With these blue-purple foods, "We can actually boost and optimize cognition, learning, and memory," says Minich. 

She touts foods like black rice (which has a higher amount of flavonoids, anthocyanins, and antioxidant activity than white rice13) and blackberries as her two favorites. In fact, she notes, "If I had to be on a desert Island and somebody said, 'Deanna, I'm either giving you blueberries or blackberries to survive,' I would choose the blackberries." Nothing against the blues! It's just that as a general rule, the darker the fruit or veggie, the more phytonutrients it likely contains. In addition to the polyphenols, though, blackberries also contain tons of fiber: They total 8 grams of fiber per cup, while blueberries provide 4 grams. 

Colorful, plant-based foods are full of antioxidants—this still rings true. But according to Minich, each pigment has its own specific properties that line up with functional roles in your body. So, yes, continue to eat the rainbow: Maybe focus on a few colors at a time, depending on what your body needs.