Why We Eat the Rainbow!
Eating the rainbow of whole foods is a simple way to get a variety of health boosting nutrients in each day. I love to ask my kids, “what does red in the rainbow taste like? or Eat your rainbow!” They are so much more responsive to that then, “eat your broccoli!”
My kids also love to know that orange helps with them see in the dark and purple helps keep their brains smart. Never underestimate the value of teaching your kids why colorful and nutritious foods are so good to eat, not just that they have to eat them! Empowering them to want to chose food for its health benefits at a young age will support their growth and their overall health for the rest of their lives!
According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 8 out of 10 people in the US are falling short in virtually every color category of phytonutrients (plant nutrients).
Based on the report,
69% of Americans are falling short in green phytonutrients
78% of Americans are falling short in red phytonutrients
86% of Americans are falling short in white phytonutrients
88% of Americans are falling short in purple and blue phytonutrients
79% of Americans are falling short in yellow and orange phytonutrients
Do you know why each of these different colored nutrient dense foods matter for our health?
Let’s take a quick look at a few of my favorite colors of the rainbow and why their color-specific nutrition matters!
Power of the Purple!!
The richer the color of your fruits and veggies the richer the nutrients. That is why it is important to eat the skin (where the color is) when possible!
Purple is particularly high in antioxidants which are amazing for combating the free radicals responsible for oxidative stress, inflammation, aging, and disease.
Packing in extra purple in your diet will also help with:
Brain health
Heart Health
Skin Health (wrinkles, acne, eczema, psoriasis, etc)
Immune System Function
Allergies
Some of the most Powerful MICRONUTRIENTS:
Reservatol
Anthocyanins
Phenolics
Flavonoids
And so much more! The richer the color of your fruits and veggies the richer the nutrients. That is why it is important to eat the skin (where the color is) when possible!
Purple is particularly high in antioxidants which are amazing for combating the free radicals responsible for oxidative stress, inflammation, aging, and disease.
Packing in extra purple in your diet will also help with:
Brain health
Heart Health
Skin Health (wrinkles, acne, eczema, psoriasis, etc)
Immune System Function
Allergies
Some of the most Powerful MICRONUTRIENTS:
Reservatol
Anthocyanins
Phenolics
Flavonoids
And so much more!
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”
The more color we can get from our food the more nutrition we can get into our bodies. Red foods are especially good for heart health, inflammation, and protecting against certain cancers.
A FEW MICRONUTRIENTS:
Lycopene
Anthocyanin
Ellagic Acid
Vitamin C
Quercetin
Cartenoids
Grandma always said, “Eat your greens” for a reason!
No doubt we know the many health benefits of green:
lower blood pressure
improve heart function
reduces cardiovascular disease
improves vision.
improves skin health
cancer prevention
In part, this is due to lutein, the powerful antioxidant found in greens; it’s also attributed to it’s high concentration of chlorophyll, which increases blood flow and oxygen in the body.
A FEW MICRONUTRIENTS found in leafy greens:
Calcium
vitamin K
vitamin E
Lutein
Potassium
Folate
Iron
Magnesium
Sulforaphane
In Summary,
Make food colorful and fun for you and your family, because real health comes from real food- the color is the secret to real nutrition. So, eat as many colors from the rainbow as you can each day!
Cheers to a colorful plate!
~Jacqi
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