This One Simple Shift has a Big Impact on your Health
"Eat the Rainbow" is SO much more than just a cute phrase!
Macronutrients like protein, fat, and carbs often steal the spotlight, but phytochemicals, read: plant chemicals that give fruits and veggies their vibrant colors deserve a little attention too!
Eating a variety of different colors in your diet is one of the easiest (and best ways) to ensure that you’re getting enough vitamins, minerals and other essential micronutrients important for your overall health!
Not only do you get a serious antioxidant boost, but these important phytonutrients also help to support your body’s daily detox processes, decrease inflammation, improve your mood and prevent a whole bunch of chronic diseases.
But, it’s really easy to get stuck eating the same foods day after day, kale salad, avocado toast, honey crisp apple with peanut butter. . . you get the idea.
But shifting your focus to include a variety of different colors is a really easy way to increase your overall consumption of fruit and veggies and improve your overall health!
Research from the American Gut Project found that eating a small amount of different plant foods was actually more beneficial, in terms of gut health and micronutrient availability, than eating large amounts of just a few foods. Variety really is the spice of life!
And, eating a ‘rainbow diet’ isn't only limited to fruit and vegetables either! Including more herbs, spices, legumes, nuts, seeds, different grains, and even green and herbal teas contain beneficial phytonutrients as well.
Here are a Few Benefits of Different Colored Fruits and Veggies (and recipes to start eating more of them):
Green
Even if you get no other veggies in your whole day, try to get some greens in, especially leafy, cruciferous one! Greens like kale, swiss chard, and spinach are some of the most potent and powerful foods on the planet! Fresh herbs like cilantro, mint and parsley count too and are super potent detoxifiers. Not only do greens contain chlorophyll, they are chock-full of cancer fighting compounds such as sulforaphane, boost iron levels, fight inflammation and are rich in fiber, which helps to improve hormone metabolism.
RECIPE: Tabbouleh Salad
Purple/Blue
My second favorite color group! Purple is the least consumed color but purple fruits and veggies pack a serious punch of antioxidants! The deep blue/purple color comes from anthocyanins, which decrease inflammation, are antimicrobial and antiviral, and have been found to support a healthy brain and memory. I recommend choosing purple plant foods whenever you get the chance, whether purple cabbage, blueberries, or purple broccoli or carrots.
RECIPE: Red Cabbage Crunch Salad
Red
Red foods like tomatoes, beets and strawberries are packed full of lycopene and anthocyanins that help to protect your heart, support your immune system and protect against chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer.
RECIPE: Easy Tomato Basil Bruschetta
Yellow/Orange
From sweet potatoes and carrots to papaya and oranges, golden colored fruits and veggies are rich in beta-carotene,which helps to protect against harmful free radicals and decrease oxidative stress to prevent chronic disease and help support a healthy reproductive system for both men and women. The Carotenoids and vitamin C also help to protect your eyes, boost your immunity and protect against several types of cancer.
RECIPE: Carrot Ginger Soup
White/Brown
Ok it’s not exactly part of the rainbow, but even without a lot of vibrant colors, white and brown fruits and vegetables boast lots of phytonutrient plant power too! Foods like cauliflower, coconut, garlic, onions, and yes even potatoes are high in potassium, beta-glucans, lignas and EGCG which are beneficial for cardiovascular health, support immunity and prevent many types of cancer.
RECIPE: Protein Packed Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta
Food really is powerful medicine!
Currently, there are at least 10,000 known bioactive compounds in plant foods, but more are being discovered all the time. And different color foods = different phytochemicals and antioxidants.
So eat lots of different colorful plants, good fats, and quality proteins, but don’t forget that food is more than just macro and micronutrients. . . it’s meant to be enjoyed too!