Eating the same foods day in and day out is boring and truthfully, it is not healthy. A variety of food in our diets can have a huge positive impact on our health. But how do we add more variety to our diets? Eating the Rainbow (I don’t mean the candy Skittles either) is a great way to up your intake of nutrients and is easy to do. So, what is it mean to Eat the Rainbow?
Fruits and veggies are excellent sources of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. All these nutrients work to help our body function at its best. The greater the variety in the types of fruits and veggies eaten has been associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases.
White
White really isn’t a color but there are fruits and vegetables that are white or tan. These can include cauliflower, bananas, garlic, onions, and mushrooms. Garlic and mushrooms contain cancer protective agents and are also linked to antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Red
Red offers some of the brightest foods such as red bell peppers, cherries, watermelon, strawberries, tomatoes, and pomegranates. The red foods can fight against inflammation and prevent chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and hypertension.
Orange
Orange foods can include oranges, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, carrots, orange bell peppers, pumpkin, and mangoes. These foods can play an essential role in maintaining male fertility and also modulate estrogen metabolism thereby lowering the incidence of breast and prostate cancer.
Yellow
Yellow foods include pineapple, yellow bell peppers, corn, mangos, lemons, yellow squash, and yellow beets. This color has been associated with gastric motility and the ability to modify gut microbial activity. These benefits often come from the prebiotic fibers found in many yellow fruits and vegetables.
Green
Green is the one color that should be eaten every day if at all possible and can include avocado, spinach, broccoli, lettuce, green grapes, limes, and asparagus. Green fruits and vegetables are connected to cardiovascular health; and up to 15.8% of cardiovascular risk could be reduced by consuming leafy greens “almost every day.”
Blue
Blue fruits and vegetables can include blueberries, concord grapes, blackberries, elderberries, and black currents. Antioxidants found in blue produce have been shown to help reduce blood pressure, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, and protect against certain types of cancers.
Purple
Purple and blue can be found in many of the same fruits and vegetables. Those that could be considered are purple cauliflower, purple potatoes, eggplant, purple sweet potatoes, and purple carrots. The antioxidants found in both blue and purple items have been found to stabilize mood and improve cognition.
Research has shown the association between fruit and vegetable intake with the decreased risk of many chronic diseases including hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain eye diseases, dementia, osteoporosis, and potentially cancer. But the best part is they taste great and add color to your day. I encourage you to Eat the Rainbow. I have a FREE downloadable chart if you would like to track how well you are doing with eating a variety of colors throughout your week.
Do you eat every color of the rainbow each week? Each day?
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Heather
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