Beetroot, Carrots & More: Why Colour Matters in Juice

When you look at our extensive array of juices, shots and smoothies you'll notice something immediately - each has a unique, vibrant colour. There's deep crimson beetroot, bright orange carrot, vivid emerald kale. That's no accident. 

Here's the thing: the colour of a fruit or vegetable isn't just cosmetic. It's chemistry. Each pigment is a signal of the unique plant compounds - called phytonutrients - packed inside. And those compounds can do some genuinely impressive things for your health.

Why Do Plants Have Colour?

Plants produce pigments for a number of reasons, to attract pollinators, deter predators, protect themselves from UV damage. But those same pigments happen to be extraordinarily beneficial for us, too.

Scientists have identified thousands of these compounds, and a landmark review published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism describes how they work at the cellular level - essentially switching on protective processes inside your body, reducing inflammation, and even influencing how your genes express themselves over time. (Minich, 2019)

The Colour Guide: What's inside your smoothies and shots?

Here's a simple breakdown of the main colour families, what makes them that colour, and why they're worth having regularly:

Most of us fall into a bit of a rut with our fruit and veg - reaching for the same handful of familiar things week after week. Which means we're also missing out on whole families of these beneficial compounds without even realising it. 

The Gut Connection: Why Variety Really Matters

Here's where it gets really interesting, and where the science has moved on significantly in recent years.

In one of the largest microbiome studies ever conducted - the American Gut Project, published in mSystems in 2018 and involving over 10,000 participants - researchers made a striking discovery:

People who ate more than 30 different plant types per week had significantly more diverse gut microbiomes than those who ate fewer than 10, regardless of whether they were vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore.

This is significant because a diverse gut microbiome is now understood to be one of the most important markers of overall health. The trillions of bacteria living in your gut influence everything from digestion and immunity to mood, energy levels, and even mental health.

Different plant pigments and fibres feed different strains of gut bacteria. A purple food feeds different microbes than a green food. An orange food feeds different ones still. Which is why colour diversity isn't just nice to have, it's actually doing something measurable inside you.

The study found that people eating 30+ plant types per week had higher levels of beneficial bacteria associated with the production of short-chain fatty acids - compounds that help maintain gut lining integrity and reduce inflammation throughout the body.

How B.fresh Fits In

One of the practical challenges with the "30 plants a week" goal is simply getting enough variety into your diet without spending half your life in the kitchen. This is where cold-pressed juices genuinely earn their place.

A single B.fresh juice can contain five, six, seven different plant ingredients - multiple colours, multiple pigment families, multiple benefits - in one bottle. Down in less than 30 seconds.

It's worth noting that cold-pressing (rather than blending or pasteurising) preserves more of these heat-sensitive phytonutrients. Gentle processing matters when the whole point is to protect what the plant has worked hard to produce.

And here's a useful tip: if you're trying to hit 30 different plants in a week, different varieties of the same vegetable count separately. Red pepper and yellow pepper? Two plants. Red apple and green apple? Two plants. Herbs and spices count too, so ginger, turmeric, and black pepper can each tick a box.

Simple Ways to Add More Colour

You don't need a total diet overhaul. Small, consistent changes add up quickly:

•   Keep a mental note of how many plant colours you've had today - aim to hit at least three or four

•   Swap your usual juice or smoothie for one with a colour you haven't had recently

•   Add a handful of mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, linseed) to your breakfast - that's three more plants

•   Pick up one unfamiliar fruit or vegetable each week at the supermarket and give it a go

•   Remember: herbs and spices count - a pinch of turmeric in warm water, or ginger in your juice, both contribute

The science on phytonutrients is still evolving, but the consistent message across thousands of studies is this: more colour, more variety, more often, and your body will thank you for it.

Your gut, your heart, your brain, your immune system - they all respond to the different compounds each colour brings. No single colour does everything. Which is why the rainbow really does matter.

-- Written by Expert Nutritionist Matt Jones 

References

Minich DM. A Review of the Science of Colorful, Plant-Based Food and Practical Strategies for "Eating the Rainbow". J Nutr Metab. 2019;2019:2125070. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7770496/ 

McDonald D, et al. American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research. mSystems. 2018;3(3):e00031-18. https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msystems.00031-18