Pink is not exactly what first comes to mind when you think of vegetables, and yet pink vegetables are much more than a plate decoration. Pink vegetables are often sadly overlooked as their color isn’t what you would reach for when shopping for veggies. In addition to making your plate look much more cheerful, they are packed with nutrients and are great if you work out regularly or are just mindful about what you eat.Â
What Are Nutrient-rich Vegetables Good for Fitness and Working Out?
Pink vegetables are pink because they contain anthocyanins, which are beneficial for the skin, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obesity effects. Anthocyanins are pigments contained in pink, blue, and purple vegetables, making these plants extremely healthy.
Pink vegetables are packed with nutrients such as vitamin C, antioxidants, and fiber, which are great allies in boosting immunity, helping digestion, energizing the body, and improving circulatory health.
They are also excellent for the skin, as well as for the function of the vital organs. These fantastic properties make pink vegetables excellent for working out and leading a healthy and active lifestyle.
Radishes
Radishes are a true gift of nature. Rich in fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants boost digestion and improve your immune system. Because they are so rich in antioxidants, they play a massive role in muscle and bone health. [1]
Moreover, radishes are known for helping the muscles grow, so combined with regular workout sessions, they can even help you build a more athletic body and boost your energy levels.
Radishes help digestion, meaning they nurture your body efficiently, making you more impervious to illness. The easy digestion also helps you feel enthusiastic and energized, keeping you in a good mood, which is a significant factor in your motivation to work out.
You can roast them and have them instead of potatoes, or have them raw in a salad. Radishes make an excellent side dish and do a great job as the main meal.
Beets
It is no secret that beets are considered a superfood. These nutritious roots are bursting with vitamins, minerals, and nitrates. They help you improve your circulatory health and energize your body.
With regular beet consumption, you will feel improvement in your stamina, resilience, and endurance. They are also packed with fiber, which will help you digest food more efficiently, giving you more energy for an active lifestyle.
A beet salad before working out can boost your strength and help you have a more effective workout session. After working out, they help you restore your strength and even help with muscle soreness due to their circulatory health benefits.
In addition, beets are versatile, so you can roast them, have them raw as a salad, or cook them to soften them up and then have them as a side dish. Moreover, you can preserve them by pickling them in brine and have them conveniently in your pantry whenever you feel like having beets.
Pink Kale
The saddest thing about pink kale is that many use it to decorate their gardens remaining oblivious to what it can do for you if you put it on a plate instead of your porch. It is a super powerful leafy green that has become one of the most nutritious vegetables ever.
Exploding with fiber, calcium, vitamins A and C, iron, potassium, and folate supplies you with everything you need in a single salad. [2] A pink kale salad will raise your energy levels before working out, preparing you better for the upcoming challenges. Having it after working out will replenish your body and help you restore your energy to continue your day.Â
Pink Carrots
Ranging in shades from pink to purple, these vibrant and cheerful vegetables are delicious and exceptionally beneficial. They burst with beta-carotene, hence the name, which is a powerful antioxidant that is very significant for healthy skin, cell regeneration, and eyesight.
It may not mean much to you said like this, but if you think about what pink carrots do on a cellular level and how they impact your body, especially when combined with a regular workout, you will be astounded by what these treasures of nature can do.
Restoring cells isn’t a small thing; it means a lot when you work out. This means that pink carrots help your cells repair themselves, giving you healthier organs and improving your overall body function.
Moreover, a body that functions optimally is full of energy, ready for more challenges and testing new limits. Pink carrots are an excellent snack both before and after your workout.
They fit great in many combinations and with many foods. You can even consider them a potato substitute. They are great roasted, raw, or even mashed. Steamed pink carrots are also a delicacy, going great with meat, fish, or other veggies.
Turnips
The turnip is another pink veggie that is sadly overlooked and highly underestimated. They aren’t as popular as carrots or beats, but they are just as healthy. These root vegetables are rich in potassium, folate, and vitamin B6, essential for bone and muscle health, heart health, and cell growth and restoration. [3]
They will give you a stronger body which is the base for a successful workout session. Don’t get me wrong, the main point of working out is to give you more strength and help you get healthier, so a strong body isn’t a prerequisite to start working out. However, combined with regular workout sessions, turnips can do wonders for your muscles and bones.
On the downside, turnips aren’t as versatile as other pink veggies, but they do very well on salads, so don’t waste an opportunity to include them in your daily diet.
Pink Potatoes
As a great source of potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium, pink potatoes are among the most popular pink veggies. They are very satiating, and you don’t need to eat a lot to feel full. What makes these veggies so special is that they contain features from all other pink vegetables combined.
Therefore, although they are rich in potassium, phosphorous, and magnesium, they are also packed with antioxidants, and vitamin B, which are nutrients found in many pink vegetables. [4] As such, pink or popularly known as Peruvian purple potatoes, is very beneficial for the body, even more so if you work out regularly.Â
The potassium in these veggies makes them excellent for bone health, meaning they will give you better support while working out. Magnesium will improve your heart health and give you better rest, and vitamin B will improve your brain function and metabolism.
All this ultimately results in you being in a better mood for your upcoming workout session, being more focused during your training, and being able to rest afterward effectively.
Chives’ Flowers
We all know that chives are edible and very delicious too, but the pink part that I am talking about is the flower. The chives’ flowers are edible, too, and they are very nutrient-dense. They have vitamin C, potassium, iron, copper, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, sodium, folic acid, and vitamins A & K1. [5]
All these nutrients strongly impact your body as a whole, making it detox more easily, supporting metabolic functions such as digestion and sleep, and creating a better workout foundation overall.
They work especially well if eaten in the morning, so add a generous amount of these nutrition bombs to your morning salad and watch miracles happen.
Recipe for Pink Detox SaladÂ
The pink detox salad is a nutrient bomb you can have at any time of the day. Whether before or after working out, it will rid your body of what no longer serves you. It is very simple to make, using only four ingredients, and of course, salt, pepper, and some oil.
For this salad, you will need the following:
- Three medium-sized pink carrots;
- One medium-sized pink kale;
- Three pink radishes;
- One avocado.
Procedure:
Wash the vegetables thoroughly. Chop the kale, dice the radish, and grate the carrots. Mix everything in a large salad bowl.
Peel the avocado and mash it into a paste. Add some olive oil and keep mashing until it homogenizes with the oil. If the paste is too thick, add some water.
Add the avocado dressing to the bowl and mix again. Season with salt and pepper, and enjoy your meal. You can also add some lemon juice to make it zestier.Â
