This is why you’re seeing more purple at the supermarket
If you’ve been seeing more purple foods in grocery stores — lavender-hued cauliflower, amethyst-colored carrots — that’s not a coincidence. National retailer Whole Foods Market has described purple anything, indicative of a high level of antioxidants, as one of the key nutrition trends of 2017. Below are some easily edible ways to get the richly colored foods into your diet.
Beets a ‘superfood’
Beets are among the most nutritious of vegetables, great for cardiovascular health and lowering cholesterol. An innovative way to eat them: as a chip.
Westlake Village-based Crunchies, known for its freeze-dried fruit snacks, recently introduced a beet option.
“Beets are on trend, not just because of the flavor, but because they are a superfood,” said Scott Jacobson, president and chief executive. The beet chips have no other ingredients and have a texture comparable to regular potato chips; they can even be served with hummus or other dips. The freeze-drying process retains the vegetable’s high nutritional content.
35 calories in 1/3 cup. $4.99 at Sprouts Farmers Market, crunchiesfood.com
Purple potato chips
If you’re going to snack on potato chips, make them purple, cooked in a healthful fat such as coconut oil and seasoned with nothing more than sea salt. Crested Butte, Colo.-company Jackson’s Honest hits this trifecta with its Purple Heirloom Potato Chips.
“For people trying to eat more of those foods, it makes sense to bring them all together in one product,” said brand founder and Chief Executive Megan Remer, who created the company as she sought healthier “good fat” foods for her son, Jackson, after he was afflicted with a rare disease. “Purple potatoes are indigenous to the Andes, are high in antioxidants and have bioflavonoids in them on the same level as blueberries. Everything we selected for Jackson to eat had to have a high nutritional value.”
A 1-ounce serving has 150 calories.
$3.99 at Erewhon, Whole Foods, 365 by Whole Foods and Sprouts Farmers Market. jacksonshonest.com
A better frosted flake
Frosted flakes might be delicious, but not the best way to start the day. Peace Cereal is offering up its Purple Corn Flakes as a healthier option.
“We recognized a growing trend of purple corn in the market and knew that we could create a better-for-you frosted flake using this powerhouse ingredient at the core,” said Michelle Gomez, senior marketing manager of Attune Foods, which produces Peace Cereal. Purple corn is rich in anthocyanins, which offer anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. The non-GMO cereal is lightly sweetened and has 90 calories in a 3/4 cup serving.
$4.99 at Bristol Farms, Sprouts Farmers Market.
Black rice tortillas
The vegan and gluten-free Exotic Black Rice tortillas from Food for Life have a deep, rich purple color, made with a super grain that was once only available to royalty, said company principal Gary Torres.
“Black rice was reserved exclusively for Chinese emperors,” he said.
The purple in the tortilla comes from the high mineral content of the soil in which the grain is grown. Chia seeds help enhance the fiber content. They can be used as wraps and burritos like other tortillas. Each one has 170 calories.
$3.69 for a packet of six at Whole Foods and Sprouts Farmers Market
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