How to Use Fruits and Vegetables to Help Manage Your Weight

Fruits and vegetables are part of a well-balanced and healthy eating plan. There are many different ways to lose or maintain a healthy weight. Using more fruits and vegetables along with whole grains and lean meats, nuts, and beans is a safe and healthy one. Helping control your weight is not the only benefit of eating more fruits and vegetables. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and other chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables also provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health.

To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than your body uses.

This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to eat less food. You can create lower-calorie versions of some of your favorite dishes by substituting low-calorie fruits and vegetables in place of higher-calorie ingredients. The water and fiber in fruits and vegetables will add volume to your dishes, so you can eat the same amount of food with fewer calories. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and are filling.

Here are some simple ways to cut calories and eat fruits and vegetables throughout your day:

Breakfast: Start the Day Right

• Substitute some spinach, onions, or mushrooms for one of the eggs or half of the cheese in your morning omelet. The vegetables will add volume and flavor to the dish with fewer calories than the egg or cheese.
• Cut back on the amount of cereal in your bowl to make room for some cut-up bananas, peaches, or strawberries. You can still eat a full bowl, but with fewer calories.

Lighten Up Your Lunch

• Substitute vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, or onions for 2 ounces of the cheese and 2 ounces of the meat in your sandwich, wrap, or burrito. The new version will fill you up with fewer calories than the original.
• Add a cup of chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, beans, or red peppers, in place of 2 ounces of the meat or 1 cup of noodles in your favorite broth-based soup. The vegetables will help fill you up, so you won't miss those extra calories.

Dinner

• Add in 1 cup of chopped vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, squash, onions, or peppers, while removing 1 cup of the rice or pasta in your favorite dish. The dish with the vegetables will be just as satisfying but have fewer calories than the same amount of the original version.
• Take a good look at your dinner plate. Vegetables, fruit, and whole grains should take up the largest portion of your plate. If they do not, replace some of the meat, cheese, white pasta, or rice with legumes, steamed broccoli, asparagus, greens, or another favorite vegetable. This will reduce the total calories in your meal without reducing the amount of food you eat. BUT remember to use a normal- or small-size plate — not a platter. The total number of calories that you eat counts, even if a good proportion of them come from fruits and vegetables.

Smart Snacks

• Most healthy eating plans allow for one or two small snacks a day. Choosing most fruits and vegetables will allow you to eat a snack with only 100 calories.

About 100 Calories or Less

• a medium-size apple (72 calories)
• a medium-size banana (105 calories)
• 1 cup steamed green beans (44 calories)
• 1 cup blueberries (83 calories)
• 1 cup grapes (100 calories)
• 1 cup carrots (45 calories), broccoli (30 calories), or bell peppers (30 calories) with 2 tbsp. hummus (46 calories)

Learn more about What Counts as a Cup.

Instead of a high-calorie snack from a vending machine, bring some cut-up vegetables or fruit from home. One snack-sized bag of corn chips (1 ounce) has the same number of calories as a small apple, 1 cup of whole strawberries, AND 1 cup of carrots with 1/4 cup of low-calorie dip. Substitute one or two of these options for the chips, and you will have a satisfying snack with fewer calories.

Remember: Substitution is the key.It's true that fruits and vegetables are lower in calories than many other foods, but they do contain some calories. If you start eating fruits and vegetables in addition to what you usually eat, you are adding calories and may gain weight. The key is substitution. Eat fruits and vegetables instead of some other higher-calorie food.

More Tips for Making Fruits and Vegetables Part of Your  Weight Management Plan

Eat fruits and vegetables the way nature provided—or with fat-free or low-fat cooking techniques.Try steaming your vegetables, using low-calorie or low-fat dressings, and using herbs and spices to add flavor. Some cooking techniques, such as breading
and frying, or using high-fat dressings or sauces will greatly increase the calories and fat in the dish. And eat your fruit raw to enjoy its natural sweetness.

Canned or frozen fruits and vegetables are good options when fresh produce is not available.However, be careful to choose those without added sugar, syrup, cream sauces, or other ingredients that will add calories.

Choose whole fruit over fruit drinks and juices. Fruit juices have lost fiber from the fruit. 
It is better to eat the whole fruit because it contains the added fiber that helps you feel full. One 6-ounce serving of orange juice has 85 calories, compared to just 65 calories in a medium orange.

Whole fruit gives you a bigger size snack than the same fruit dried—for the same number of calories.A small box of raisins (1/4 cup) is about 100 calories. For the same number of calories, you can eat 1 cup of grapes.

Vegetables: Sources of important nutrients in diet

Vegetables are the most readily available sources of important proteins, vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids, in the diet. Toyin Akinola reports.

Vegetables are herbaceous plants which are grown for food in Nigeria and other parts of the world. They are the fresh and edible portions of herbaceous plants, which may be the root, stem, leaves, fruit or a combination of these parts depending on one’s knowledge of them and their availability. They may be eaten raw or cooked depending on the type, but most often they are cooked.

Dr Oluwaseun Aluko, a general practitioner, Teju Specialist Hospital, Ring Road, Ibadan said  vegetables are sources of important nutrients in diets; their colours, shape, texture and flavour appeal to man’s senses. Research has shown that vegetables are important and highly beneficial for the maintenance of health and prevention of diseases.

They contain valuable food ingredients which can be successfully utilised to build up and repair the body. They are valuable in maintaining the alkaline reserve of the body.

Dr Nafiu Taiwo, a general medical practitioner, Ibadan Central Hospital, Ososami, Ibadan, said green leafy vegetables contain a lot of vitamins and micro-nutrient which are essential for body metabolism. They are valued for their high carbohydrate, vitamins and mineral contents.

Vegetables are the cheapest and most readily available sources of important proteins, vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids.

The daily allowances of these excellent nutrients are very important and are essential ingredient of the diet, required for normal metabolic activities of the body tissue. They are constituent of bone, teeth, blood, muscles, hair and nerve cells.  

Vegetables, like fruits, are low in fat but contain good amounts of vitamins and minerals. All the green vegetables are rich sources of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and vitamin A.

Vitamin A enhances good vision, helps in tissue repair especially for a growing child; vitamin B, vitamin C and vitamin D helps in the development of bones and improves blood formation;  vitamin E; enhances fertility especially in women and for prevention of certain cardiovascular diseases, and vitamin K, as stated by Dr.Aluko.

The American dietetic association journal states that a diet rich in vegetables contains beneficial antioxidants that helps reduce the risk of cancer, stroke, and heart diseases because it develops the body’s capacity by boosting its immunity.

Scientific studies have shown that low calorie but nutrient rich foods helps the body stay fit and disease free. Many vegetables are very low in calories, such as celery which is even as less than 10 calorie per 100 g. Also the body spends considerable amount of energy during digestion of foods, which is known as BMR (Basal metabolism rate), so when vegetable is added in the diet, there is more loss in weight than weight gained.

Worowo (seneciobiafrae), a traditional vegetable grown and consumed in the  western  part of Nigeria, is considered for its high medicinal value. The juice extracted from the leaves are wholly applied to fresh wounds or cuts in the rural community. The high edible mucilaginous fibre, leaves and stem of the vegetable are used to treat indigestion or as laxative and as purgative (Fowomola and Akindahunsi, 2005).

Dr Aluko said worowo is a good source of roughages that helps to ease digestion, and prevents constipation. It also contains appreciable amount of nutrients, which could be consumed for normal growth. Vegetable is an important source of mineral, like sodium, potassium, chlorine, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iodine, iron and copper, and they contribute fibre to the diet, which helps in the easy digestion of food and quick absorption of food material across the intestinal wall, prevents constipation and to maintain the volume of water necessary for the life processes stated Dr.Taiwo.

They help to draw chemical substances into and out of the cells and keep the blood and tissue fluid from becoming either too acidic or alkalinic. Minerals play an important role in body functions and are present in every human cell. Minerals found in vegetables include boron which prevents tumours and cysts; calcium which ensures strong bones; chlorine, a natural disinfectant;and  chromium, which enhances glucose tolerance.

Others are copper, which converts iron into haemoglobin; fluorine which is important for healthy teeth; iodine which is required to prevent goitre; iron, which is required for purification of  the blood and magnesium, the alcoholics balm.

In addition, there is manganese which is required for growing years; molybdenum for general well-being; phosphorus, a body energiser;  potassium, which helps to prevent acidosis; selenium, a woman’s friend; silicon, the beauty mineral; sodium, known to be indispensable for life; sulphur, meant for glowing hair and skin;  vanadium for healthy heart and zinc for faster healing. These are found in trace and adequate quantity in green leafy vegetables.

Vegetables contain soluble as well as insoluble dietary fibre that absorbs excess water in the colon and retain good amount of moisture in the faecal matter, thereby helping its easy passage out of the body, thus helpful in conditions like chronic constipation and rectal fissures.

 In Nigeria as in other tropical countries of Africa where the daily diet is dominated by starchy staple foods, vegetables are very low in calories. Vegetables are either major or minor based on the intake level. Nutritionists advise that fresh vegetables be eaten at least between five and  seven servings every day.

Dr Taiwo advice that vegetables be consumed in adequate amounts and it should not be eaten as a main meal. Vegetable nutrition has widely drawn the attention of fitness- conscious individuals as well as food scientists alike, because of its proven health benefits,  its high magnesium content and low glycaemic index. Green leafy vegetables are also valuable for persons with type 2 diabetes.

An increase of one serving/day of green leafy vegetables was associated with a nine per cent lower risk of diabetes. Carotenoids found in dark-green leafy vegetables are concentrated in the eye lens and macular region of the retina, and plays a protective role in the eye, they protect against cataract.

The 2009 edition of the African Journal of Biotechnology  said the potassium content of leafy vegetables is good in the control of diuretic and hypertensive complications, because it lowers arterial blood pressure and the fibre content of vegetables contribute to the feeling of satisfaction and prevents constipation, and age-related macular degeneration, the major cause of blindness in the elderly.

The risk of hip fracture in middle-aged women was decreased 45 per cent for one or more servings/day of green, leafy vegetables compared to fewer servings.

After purchase of vegetables, they must be washed immediately, especially green leafy vegetables, rinsed in salt water for a few minutes and gently swish in cool water till satisfied with cleanliness, to ensure that they are free from dust, sand, and any residual chemical sprays. If storage is needed, then they should be placed in plastic wrappings or in zip pouches in order to preserve nutrition for short periods until they are ready for use.

It is, however advisable to always buy small quantities of vegetables that should last a day or two. There is no point eating unfit greens, buy that feature freshness, bright in colour and flavour vegetables. Care should be taking in looking for blemishes, spots, fungal mould and signs of insecticide spray on the vegetables.

Top 5 Fertility-Boosting Foods for Women

There’s no need to feel deprived when you’re trying to get pregnant. Quite the opposite. Check out these foods that taste great and can help;

1. Whole Grains
You don’t have to give up carbs, just choose wisely. Complex carbohydrates like whole grain breads, brown rice, stone-ground cornmeal, and oatmeal don’t affect blood sugar and insulin as dramatically as refined carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, bleached flour, etc). And anything that’s good for insulin function is good for fertility.

2. Plant Protein
Protein from plant sources like beans, peas, and peanuts has been associated with increased fertility, as opposed to protein from red meat and poultry. Beans are also high in iron, another fertility-helper. No need to become a vegetarian, but do try to limit meat to occasional small portions.

3. Full-Fat Dairy Products

It might be hard to think of whole milk, full-fat yogurt, and even ice cream as fertility foods, but a study at Harvard found that women who consume these foods (as opposed to low-fat or no-fat dairy) have fewer problems with ovulation. And dairy contains calcium, too, which is an important fertility nutrient. Researchers caution not to overdo it with the full-fat stuff, but one serving a day might help (compensate for the extra calories elsewhere in your diet).

4. Fresh Fruits and Vegetables 
Where to begin with how healthy and important for fertility fresh produce is? First of all, it’s full of antioxidants, which promote general—and reproductive—health. Plus many fruits and vegetables—oranges and citrus fruits, strawberries, green leafy vegetables—are high in folate, an important nutrient to load up on before pregnancy to prevent birth defects.

5. The "Right" Fats: Monounsaturated, Polyunsatured, Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Say “no” to trans fats and saturated fats...and  yes to monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and omega-3 fatty acids. These fats reduce inflammation and increase insulin sensitivity. Where to get them? In avocados, nuts, sesame and pumpkin seeds, sardines, and salmon.

You can combine these foods in all sorts of ways to magnify the fertility-boosting impact of any meal or snack. Instead of a plain salmon sushi roll, order the one with avocado. Add almonds to your morning oatmeal. Switch to brown rice at the Chinese restaurant. Indulge in creamy cornmeal polenta with cheese, or add a bit of full-fat yogurt or sour cream to black beans. Fabulous-tasting...and fertility-boosting.

EATING RIGHT, KEEPS YOU HEALTHY AND FERTILE. THINK CHIF.... WE GROW & SUPPLY FRESH VEGETABLES AND FRUITS IN NIGERIA

VEGETABLE AS ANTI AGEING

Are SOYA BEANS the key to wrinkle-free skin? Hormone in the vegetable can keep us looking youthful, say scientists

• Soya contains substance called genistein, which boosts collagen production
• Collagen gives skin its strength and elasticity that depletes with age
• In trials, 53% of women who applied genistein extract reported firmer skin
• Ingredient is included in new face serum launched later this month

By LIZ HUL

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Genistein, a natural plant-hormone in soya, has been found to boost the production of collagen

It has already been heralded asnatural wonder drug which stops the spread of cancer.

But now scientists have discovered that a substance found in soya beans could also be the answer to youthful, wrinkle-free skin.

Genistein, a natural plant-hormone in soya, has been found to boost the production of collagen, the protein which gives skin its strength and elasticity that depletes with age.

In clinical tests, 53 per cent of women who used genistein said their skin felt firmer and appeared younger looking within just one month.

It was so successful at reducing wrinkles that users dubbed it a ‘facelift in a bottle.’

Now British women are set to get their hands on the miracle serum when it goes on sale online in the UK for the first time later this month.

Formulated by Swiss cosmetic firm, Swisscode, genistein works by inhibiting the action of enzymes which reduce and degrade the production and quality of collagen and elastin – the protein which gives skin its elasticity - as the body ages.  

Blocking the enzymes also stimulates the production of new collagen. 

Around 2,000 women, aged between 50 and 65 took part in a clinical trial in 2011. 

Photographs were taken of the ‘crow’s feet’ wrinkles around their left eye area and they were asked to apply two or three drops of genistein to the same area twice daily.

 

The women were photographed again after one month and, in 53 per cent of the volunteers, the results were visibly improved.

Genistein is particularly effective in women going through the menopause because it is a time when oestrogen falls, accelerating the depletion of collagen and elastin in the skin.

Experts have found that genistein molecules are structurally very similar to oestrogen and therefore act in a similar way to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), but without the nasty side effects.

Enlarge 

Swisscode have harnessed genistein, found in soya beans, to fight the signs of aging

Research published last year also found that the hormone, or isoflavone, also reduces the frequency and severity of hot flushes in older women by around 26 per cent.

Wolfgang Mayer, spokesman for Swisscode said: ‘As we age the skin becomes thinner, looser, and less elastic. In men this is a fairly gradual process, but in women this accelerates as we age and there is a drastic change with the onset of the menopause.

‘Genistein works in a similar way to oestrogen, without any of the associated hormonal side effects. It blocks enzymes which cause the depletion of existing collagen, as well as stimulating the production of new collagen. 

'Women who’ve used the serum have seen a dramatic reduction in lines and wrinkles in just a few weeks and have been astounded by the results.’

The 15ml bottles of genistein, which cost £54, will be available in the UK via swisscode.co.uk, before potentially being launched on the high street later this year.

Celebrity make-up artist Tina Earnshaw, who has done the make-up on blockbusters such as Titanic and Spiderman, has been using genistein on her film star clients.

‘It is an excellent tool to counteract the ageing process and a staple in my makeup kit,’ she said.

Film stars are understandably conscious of how their face appears when magnified on the big screen, so I use genistein to prep my celebrity clients’ skin before makeup and the results help me to achieve a flawless look.’

Powerful: The Swisscode serum was found to be of particular help to menopausal skin

User Julie Martin, 63, added: ‘The genistein serum is superb. My skin is 63 years old and needs a lot of help. My skin feels so supple after application and the skin around my eyes has definitely improved. I never would want to be without it.’

Recent studies have found genistein to be an inhibitor of both breast and prostate cancer. It stops an enzyme that switches on cancer genes and also inhibits angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels needed to feed growing cancers.

In the laboratory it has been proven to curb the growth of all types of cancer cells, including those affecting the breast, lung, colon, prostate and skin. It also works on leukaemia.

Genistein is also thought to be useful in the fight against heart disease by preventing fatty plaque build-up in arteries. 

It also deters the activity of thrombin, which promotes blood clotting, thus helping prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Could carrots beat prostate cancer?

Carrots could be used in the fight against prostate cancer

Vegetable and other foods rich in Vitamin A help make prostate cancer disease more treatable

• Acid in Vitamin A, can stop cancer spreading to surrounding tissue
• Scientists dub the development as 'exciting'

Carrots are the new weapon in the war against prostate cancer, scientists have claimed.

A study led by Professor Norman Maitland at the University of York says a diet rich in Vitamin A could be the key to beating the disease because it makes it more treatable.

The researchers have discovered that retenoic acid, a chemical made from Vitamin A, can reduce the ability of the cancer to invade surrounding tissue.

Vitamin A can be found in foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes and leafy green vegetables such as kale.

Prof Maitland said: 'If the cancer is confined to the prostate it’s much more treatable with conventional medicine. This is about prevention rather than cure but it can stop the spread of cancer.

'We have found that specific twin genes are turned off in malignant prostate cancer stem cells. When we turn them back on using retenoic acid, the cancer becomes less aggressive.

'It has been known for many years that low vitamin A in samples of men’s blood is associated with prostate cancer, but nobody knew the mechanisms involved.

'This is an exciting new development which links an element from our diet to prostate cancer stem cells.'

 

More...

• Carrots are the tops! Here's how to make the most of them...
• Would you like meat and two veg with that? Pensioner finds pair of rude carrots while feeding a friend's horses

Each year 41,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 10,000 die of the disease.

Carrots contain Vitamin A, which scientists believe could make the disease more treatable

BEETROOT JUICE, HELPS LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE

A glass a day can reduce it by 7%, say researchers; The effect is produced by beetroot's naturally high levels of nitrate.

• 
  
• High concentrations of nitrate are also found in celery and cabbage.

EATING RIGHT, KEEPS YOU ALIVE. THINK CHIF.... WE GROW & SUPPLY FRESH BEETROOT, CABBAGE, CELERY AND MORE

The Western diet really IS a killer

The Western diet really IS a killer: People who eat white bread, butter and red meat are most likely to die young

• Those who ate fried and unhealthy food had doubled risk of early death
• Key culprits include red meat, white bread, butter, cream and sweet foods
• Findings 'help explain' why heart disease is still the UK's biggest killer 

The typical Western diet, high in fat and sugar, really does lead to an early grave, new research suggests.
A study of more than 5,000 civil servants found those who ate the most fried and sweet food, processed and red meat, white bread and butter and cream doubled their risk of premature death or ill health in old age.
It adds to evidence that 'Western style food' is the reason why heart disease claims about 94,000 lives a year in the UK - more than any other illness.
The findings published in The American Journal of Medicine are based on a survey of British adults and suggest adherence to the diet increases the risk of premature death and disability later in life.

People who ate the most fried and sweet food, processed and red meat, white bread, butter and cream doubled their risk of premature death or ill health in old age

Lead researcher, Dr Tasnime Akbaraly, of the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in France, said: 'The impact of diet on specific age-related diseases has been studied extensively, but few investigations have adopted a more holistic approach to determine the association of diet with overall health at older ages.'
She examined whether  diet, assessed in midlife, using dietary patterns and adherence to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), is associated with physical ageing 16 years later.

The AHEI is an index of diet quality, originally designed to provide dietary guidelines with the specific intention to combat major chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

 

More...

• High cholesterol isn't just bad for your heart - it also increases the risk of Alzheimer's
• Beetroot juice 'helps lower blood pressure': A glass a day can reduce it by 7%, say researchers
• Struggling to lose weight? A new NHS diet app might be the answer

Dr Akbaraly added: 'We showed that following specific dietary recommendations such as the one provided by the AHEI may be useful in reducing the risk of unhealthy ageing, while avoidance of the "Western-type foods" might actually improve the possibility of achieving older ages free of chronic diseases.'
The researchers analysed data from the British Whitehall II cohort study and found following the AHEI can double the odds of reversing metabolic syndrome, a range of disorders known to cause heart disease and mortality.

The research adds to evidence that Western style food is the reason why heart disease claims about 94,000 lives a year in the UK - more than any other illness

They followed 3,775 men and 1,575 women from 1985-2009 with a mean age of 51 years.
Using a combination of hospital data, results of screenings conducted every five years, and registry data, investigators identified death rates and chronic diseases among participants.
At the follow up stage, just four per cent had achieved 'ideal ageing' - classed as being free of chronic conditions and having high performance in physical, mental and mental agility tests.
About 12 per cent had suffered a non-fatal cardiovascular event such as a stroke or heart attack, while almost three per cent had died from cardiovascular disease.
About three quarters were categorised as going through 'normal ageing'.
The researchers said participants who hadn't really stuck to the AHEI increased their risk of death, either from heart disease or another cause.
Those who followed a 'Western-type diet' consisting of fried and sweet food, processed food and red meat, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products, lowered their chances for ideal ageing.

AT CHIF, WE GROW AND SUPPLY VEGETABLES, FRIENDLY WITH THE HEALTH OF MEN. 

FLOWERS; Name and Meanings of Flowers

AT CHIF, WE GROW AND SUPPLY FLOWERS TO ANY PART OF NIGERIA....

In Victorian times, certain flowers had specific meanings because the flower selection was limited and people used more symbols and gestures to communicate than words. But today, with so many flower choices, there are no rules - it's the sentiment that gives the gift its meaning. Your florist can help you send the right message. Many people assign their own personal meanings - a flower or color that might remind them of a special event or moment in their lives. For those interested in the historic meanings of flowers, the Society of American Florists has compiled this list from a variety of different sources:

Alstroemeria	aspiring
Amaryllis	dramatic
Anemone	fragile
Apple Blossom	promis
Aster	contentment
Azalea	abundance
Baby's Breath	festivity
Bachelor Button	anticipation
Begonia	deep thoughts
Black-Eyed Susan	encouragement
Camellia	graciousness
Carnation
pink	gratitude
red	flashy
striped	refusal
white	remembrance
yellow	cheerful
Chrysanthemum
bronze	excitement
white	truth
red	sharing
yellow	secret admirer
Cosmos	peaceful
Crocus	foresight
Daffodil	chivalry
Delphinium	boldness
Daisy	innocence
Freesia	spirited
Forget-Me-Not	remember me forever
Gardenia	joy
Geranium	comfort
Ginger	proud
Gladiolus	strength of character
Heather	solitude
Hibiscus	delicate beauty
Holly	domestic happiness
Hyacinth	sincerity
Hydrangea	perseverance
Iris	inspiration
Ivy	fidelity
Jasmine	grace and elegance
Larkspur	beautiful spirit
Lavender	distrust
Lilac	first love
Lily
Calla	regal
Casablanca	celebration
Day	enthusiasm
Stargazer	ambition
Lisianthus	calming
Magnolia	dignity
Marigold	desire for riches
Nasturtium	patriotism
Orange Blossom	fertility
Orchid	delicate beauty
Pansy	loving thoughts
Passion flower	passion
Peony	healing
Poppy	consolation
Queen Anne's Lace	delicate femininity
Ranunculus	radiant
Rhododendron	beware
Rose
pink	friendship
red	passionate love
red & white	unity
white	purity
yellow	zealous
Snapdragon	presumptuous
Star of Bethlehem	hope
Stephanotis	good luck
Statice	success
Sunflower	adoration
Sweetpea	shyness
Tuberose	pleasure
Tulip
pink	caring
purple	royalty
red	declaration of love
white	forgiveness
yellow	hopelessly in love
Violet	faithfulness
Wisteria	steadfast
Yarrow	good health
Zinnia	thoughts of friends