Eat from the Rainbow
Article contributed by Reid Beloni
You can use food to paint the picture of health. By eating fruits and vegetables from the four primary color groups every day (yellow-orange, red, green, and blue-purple) you are getting the beneficial compounds that you need to help prevent heart attack, cancer, stroke and diabetes. Pigments found in these brightly colored foods are signs that these foods contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and also phytochemicals that help to detoxify the body.
Also eating from these different colors assures that there is variety in your diet. Many health professionals say that variety is the key to a healthy and balanced diet. Eating tan colored fried food every day isn’t going to be very good for you.
*Green spinach great on a sandwich or the base for a healthy salad and is high in Vitamin A, folic acid, and Vitamin K (which helps with bone strength).
*Blue berries contain natural sugars that provide a healthy energy boost and the purple/blue phytochemicals are strong antioxidants that improve health.
*Red apples also contain healthy energy, fiber to improve digestion, and healthy chemicals that help curb your appetite and reduce snacking between meals.
*Orange carrots are easy take along snacks that keep well; they also are nearly fat free, fun to eat and contain bunches of healthy vitamin A.
So, by making sure that your diet is rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, you are filling yourself with protective nutrients and increasing your body’s ability to fight off diseases! Eat these colors every day; if you can, make every meal a plate of color to improve energy everyday and lifelong health.