One of my friends is quite fond of sending out health tips through SMS. I got this one a few days ago:

"Did you know brightly coloured fruits & vegetables such as those that are yellow, orange, red, green, blue and purple - generally contain the most phytonutrients?" So eat your fruits and veggies today!

I trust her when it comes to such things because she has a degree in Biology and is in the field of preventive health care. I never got to asking her to expand on that short message though.

Then today I read about how US government agencies have colour-coded fruits and vegetables into five categories: green, blue/purple, white, yellow/orange and red. The most important thing to remember is the deeper the colour, the better it is for your health since "premature aging, dementia, blindness, heart disease and cancer" can be prevented by antioxidants in the pigments that cause the colour.

More details on www.5aday.org.

Taking their cue from that, professional home economists Kathryn Moore and Roxanne Wyss give us a recipe they developed for The kansas City Star (Missouri). It uses peaches, nectarines and plums.

Check out the ingredient list below:

Farmers Market Salad

½ cup white grape/peach juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon walnut oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 cups seasonal greens, torn into bite-size pieces
2 medium peaches or nectarines, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 medium plums, pitted and thinly sliced (peeled if desired)
6 to 8 fresh cherries, pitted and halved, or strawberries, halved
¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Doesn't it make you want to start munching on the fresh ingredients? The full article and recipe is on Taste the rainbow.