There’s beauty in simplicity but you also want to make sure that the meal you have in front of you carries the rainbow. Having a meal in front of you that not only looks delicious, tastes delicious, but also holds nutritional balance is important. Your eyes eat your food first. Enjoy what you’re eating. Keep your plate colorful.
The colors in fruits and vegetables occur naturally from bioactive compounds. Different colors can have different benefits. The brightest and most vibrant fruits and veggies are the most rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Cooking with colors is important. You’re getting lots of different benefits just by adding color to your plate. Unless you’re trying to live your life like you eat at the same bad school cafeteria everything single day you really never want your plate to be full of different food that’s all the same bland color. Be creative. Eating the rainbow has such a larger meaning than what we know!
Red fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, strawberries and red beans, are packed with vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and antioxidants.
Yellow/orange fruits and vegetables, including carrots, peaches, squash and pineapple, are also loaded with vitamin C, vitamin A and potassium. They can also boost the immune system and enhance vision.
White fruits and vegetables like mushrooms, bananas, onions and other white veggies and fruits are good for the heart and help to control cholesterol levels.
Green means lots of heart-protective potassium and vitamin K, which aids the blood clotting process. Green fruits and veggies also help to maintain vision health and strong bones and teeth. Dark green, leafy vegetables have the highest concentration of antioxidants and fiber.
Blue/purple fruits and vegetables, including such favorites as cranberries, purple grapes, raisins and eggplant, boost urinary tract health and memory function and promote healthy aging.
Some other important info about your fruits and veggies is that preparation matters. You want to be really careful not to lose all of the nutrients by cooking your veggies wrong! If you’re boiling, for example, all of those nutrients are leaching out. In a stew or chili this wouldn’t apply too much because those nutrients are still there just not as prevalent. Grilling or steaming your veggies is a much better way to cook for nutrition. The fresher the produce is the better.... always! And as always, eat to the season. This is important because your body is designed to process different foods for different seasons. All of the produce you’re eating carries the nutrients you need for that season too. So be sure to keep that in mind when you’re doing your shopping. Organic produce is important in this way too because it ensures that you’re produce is still full of all those nutrients and healthy bugs that you need without ingesting chemicals. You don’t want to eat something for the nutritional value of it just for your body to have to go into overtime work trying to fight off the chemicals you’ve just put into it. So always always always strive for organic, fresh, local, and trustworthy produce and farms.
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