Add Color to Your
Diet
Finding a rainbow of good nutrition in the fruits and vegetables you eat.
May seem like a funny question, but increasing evidence demonstrates the health-promoting benefits of diets rich in colorful fruits and vegetables. Many of the pigments that give fruits and vegetables their colors are considered phytonutrients, which play important roles in the body.
For example, the deep blue color of blueberries – called anthocyanin – is a powerful antioxidant in the body and plays an important role in brain, nerve, and overall health. Lycopene – a phytonutrient with a dark-red color – is another important antioxidant, found in large quantities in heat-processed tomatoes and fresh watermelon. Many scientists are now finding that the deeper the color, the more nutrient-rich the fruit or vegetable.
Health experts promote eating 5-a-day for portions of fruits and vegetables, and many researchers are even suggesting aiming for as many as 10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily for optimal health.
How to build color into your diet:
ü Choose vegetables that are in-season and have the deepest colors.
ü Make a rainbow-plate. Mix greens, reds and yellows (tomato sauce on pasta with broccoli and corn-on-the-cob) or other colorful combinations at mealtime.
ü Make a colorful fruit salad of cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, grapes, and other colorful fruit.
ü Blend up a colorful smoothie with plain yogurt, berries, banana and other favorites.
ü When ordering pizza, aim for at least 4 different colors of vegetable toppings (including extra sauce).
Focusing on making your diet colorful can be a simple, fun and healthy approach to eating, and ultimately help promote good health and reduce the risk of some chronic diseases. If you aim for a rainbow of colors in your diet, you may just discover the pot-of-gold . . .your own good health.
References:
Joseph, JA, Nadeau, DA, Underwood, A. (2002). The Color Code: A Revolutionary Eating Plan for Optimum Health. New York: Hyperion Books.
Heber, D, Bowerman S. (2001). What Color is Your Diet? New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Gershoff S. (1996). The Tufts University Guide to Total Nutrition. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Shills ME., et al. (1999). Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, Ninth Edition. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.
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