“Fill your plate with the colours of the Rainbow, what pleases the eye, pleases the body as a whole”
Eating a Rainbow
“Eating a Rainbow” is a lovely catchphrase or slogan used to encourage people to eat plenty of colourful fruits and vegetables.
Colour is important because each plant contains phytonutrients that give them its colour. Different coloured plants have higher levels of specific nutrients and health benefits.
Try to include 6 colour groups of the “phytonutrient spectrum” every day.
Examples of the different colour groups are
Red foods: red peppers, tomatoes, red onion, red apples, strawberries, raspberries.
Orange foods: carrots, orange bell peppers, sweet potato, mango, oranges.
Yellow foods: banana, sweet corn, yellow bell peppers, lemon, pineapple, corn on the cob.
Green foods: avocado, broccoli, spinach, cucumber, cabbage, peas.
White and tan foods: whole grains (oats, quinoa, rice, buckwheat), flaxseeds, mushrooms, nuts, lentils and seeds.
Blue/purple/black foods: aubergine, berries (blue and black), grapes, figs, plums, purple cabbage.
Benefits of colourful fruits and vegetables
Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on health.
May protect against a certain type of cancers.
Supports hormone balance, heart health, liver health, skin health, reproductive health, brain health, cognitive health, eye health and healthy inflammatory response.