Looking for a fundamentally healthy way to eat your meals? Do it the rainbow way!
Eating the rainbow is a simple way of filling your plate at every mealtime with a variety of vegetables and fruits of different colors.
Fruits and vegetables are full of fibre and all sorts of essential vitamins and minerals. However, phytochemicals, chemicals that give the fruits their vibrant colours have some special qualities too. Each colour has its own unique health benefits.
So ‘eating a rainbow’ each day means more than just getting enough fruit and vegetables, it’s about eating a wide variety of foods so your body gets all the essential nutrients it needs.
CLASSES OF FRUITS THAT MAKE UP A RAINBOW
- Red fruits and vegetables– They help to protect against heart attacks and some cancers. Lycopene is the main source of their red color and some of the most popular red foods are tomatoes red apples, red grapes, cherries and strawberries pomegranates, blood oranges.
- Orange/Yellow foods- These have carotenoids, which protect skin, increase eye health and build immunity. Examples are oranges, bananas, carrots, yellow peppers, pumpkin, papaya
- Green foods– These are full of antioxidants that are great for overall health and a good source of fibres. Examples are broccoli, spinach, Lettuce, kiwi
- Blue and Purple-These have anthocyanins, which are strong antioxidants that help protect our cells from damage. They also help you feel your best with memory boosting, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory properties. Examples are Blueberries, eggplant, cabbage, plums, blackberries, radishes.
A tip to eating a rainbow is to fill your plate at every mealtime with two or more vegetables and fruits of different colors.
Colourful fruits and vegetables equals a healthier you. So keep it colourful.
