Red and Orange Vegetables

Red and orange vegetables add color and flavor to any meal. But they also add beneficial micronutrients to protect health and wellbeing. So see which ones are best for you.

Introducing Red and Orange Vegetables

Dietary Pattern guidelines give recommendations for daily red and orange vegetable consumption. Because increasing vegetable intake is a key target. So I’m developing my `Foodary Wellbeing Food Plan`. Which uses food group tables like this to help me with my alkaline Mediterranean dietary pattern. But it can also help you improve your eating pattern.

I’ll start with some red and orange vegetables facts. But if you’re in a hurry, you can scroll down to the table instructions. Or direct to the red and orange vegetables list.

Red and Orange Vegetables

Red and orange vegetables are a rich source of essential nutrients. But different foods contribute to this food subgroup. To the point that some authorities claim it’s not a true nutritional category:

Dividing fruit and vegetables into color categories makes sense for menu planning but does not correspond with nutrient content.^[1]

Therefore, it’s wise to use a wide range of red or orange vegetables in your meals. Then you can enjoy different benefits from better food choices. Including anthocyanin-rich red vegetables:

able to increase antioxidant defences, diminish free radical damage, chronic inflammation and the risk of mutations, and attenuate, or even mitigate, the development and progression of many non-communicable and degenerative chronic disorders, namely, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, eye and kidney complications, many cancer types, and also to control weight^[2]

Also, carotenoid-rich orange vegetables:

There is evidence that they have beneficial effects on eye health, cognitive function and cardiovascular health, and may help reduce the risk of some types of cancer. However, intake of carotenoids via foods or supplements is low in many population groups; in particular in the elderly.^[3]

Red and Orange Vegetables List

The headings in the Red and Orange Vegetables List are clickable to change the sort order:

USDA Food Description

The default sort order shows foods in alphabetical sequence. Which helps you locate individual foods that concern you.

USDA Code

This is useful for linking to more nutrition information.

100g (cup eq.)

Most databases and food labels list nutrients for 100g. Yet, dietary guidelines for vegetables recommend consumption of cup equivalents. So this value tells you how many cups equal 100g.

Energy (kcal per 100 g)

Dietary guidelines show recommended eating patterns based on daily calorie intake. So, clicking this helps you find foods with higher or lower energy density.

PRAL (100g)

Clicking this helps you compare foods with higher or lower acid load by weight.

PRAL (cup eq.)

Clicking this helps you compare foods with higher or lower acid load by recommended consumption.

PRAL (100 calories)

Clicking this helps you compare foods with higher or lower acid load by energy.

Search for `understanding food group nutrients` for more details.

Please note that foods listed here include “multi-group” foods that combine nutrients from more than one food group. E.g., vegetable soup also includes starchy and other vegetables, and grains. So you must be aware that the value in column 3 shows `100g (cup eq.)` for the red and orange vegetable element only. But other values are for the complete soup.

This means that you use column 3 to see how individual foods can contribute to your total red and orange vegetable targets. Then use other columns to improve the quality of your red and orange vegetable consumption. However, some people also use these food group lists to assess daily and weekly energy intake and acid load. In which case, you only add “multi-group” foods once. Search for `managing multi-group food nutrients` for more details.

Your Red and Orange Vegetables

You’ve learned about red and orange vegetables. So now think about which you like. Then use the list to see how to improve the quality of your red and orange vegetable consumption.

Are you still concerned about the impact of red and orange vegetables on your health and wellbeing? If so, you should consult your doctor or suitably qualified nutrition professional. But if you need help to prepare for that consultation, please see the feedback links below.

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Leave Red and Orange Vegetables to browse other Dietary Guidelines Food Groups.

Red and Orange Vegetables Feedback

If you have any questions, experiences, or opinions about this red and orange vegetables page, please tell me in ALKAscore Issues. You can also chat about any aspect of food in Foodary Discussions.

If you are asking a question, it’s best to:

1. Search for that question in the food search engine first.
2. Choose the most relevant result.
3. Refer to that result as you ask your question.

Red and Orange Vegetables References

1. Slavin, J.L. and Lloyd, B., 2012. Health benefits of fruits and vegetables. Advances in nutrition, 3(4), pp.506-516.
2. Gonçalves, A.C., Nunes, A.R., Falcão, A., Alves, G. and Silva, L.R., 2021. Dietary effects of anthocyanins in human health: A comprehensive review. Pharmaceuticals, 14(7), p.690.
3. Eggersdorfer, M. and Wyss, A., 2018. Carotenoids in human nutrition and health. Archives of biochemistry and biophysics, 652, pp.18-26.