Eat the Rainbow By Whitney Vaughan

I’m sure you’ve heard that you should be including more fruits and vegetables in your
daily diet, but how many different colors are you including in your intake? A variety of different- colored fruits and vegetables throughout the day and week have many natural health benefits.

The color that we see comes from phytonutrients and each color represents a different health benefit like the vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that particle fruit or vegetable includes.

Let’s go through the colors of the rainbow to see what health benefits each color has along with some examples of fruits and vegetables for each one.

Red

Fruits and vegetables with red pigmentation have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. They can also lower the risk for heart disease, some cancers, and sun-related skin damage. Try including tomatoes, strawberries, grapefruit, red bell peppers or watermelon in your diet.

Yellow and Orange

The phytonutrients that give fruits and vegetables their yellow or orange color also have anti- inflammatory agents and antioxidants. They can help reduce heart disease and the risk of certain cancers along with helping our eye health. (My granny always told me to eat my carrots. “They’re good for your eyes.”) There is a long list of these fruits and vegetables. For example, try including oranges, squash, bananas, pineapple, carrots, or sweet potatoes in your weekly intake.

Green

Green color foods have anti-inflammatory agents, antioxidants and can reduce your risk for heart disease and certain cancers. They are also a great source of fiber. Be sure to include avocado, cruciferous vegetables (leafy greens), asparagus, Brussel spouts, herbs and broccoli in your diet.

Blue and Purple

Just like the other fruits and vegetables you’ve read about so far, blue and purple foods possess anti-inflammatory agents, antioxidants, can help reduce your risk for heart disease and certain cancers, but they also have shown to improve brain function. Foods like blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, grapes and purple cabbage can lower your risk for neurological diseases and type 2 diabetes, as well.

Dark Red

The darker red vegetables like radishes and beets have the same health benefits as the other colors, but they also support athletic performance due to the increase in oxygen uptake. This particular color can also help lower blood pressure.

White and Brown

Foods like potatoes, onions, mushrooms, garlic and ginger provide the same health benefits as the other colors, but they also can reduce the risk of a specific cancer, like colon cancer.

In summary, it’s easy to see that by including any fruits and vegetables in your diet, you’ll be getting the health benefits of anti-inflammatory agents, antioxidants, as well as reducing your risk for heart disease and some cancers. Now, you can also see that specific colors can help target specific diseases or provide specific health benefits.

Focus on a variety of fruits & vegetables…not just eating more of them.
For more information, help, or advice on getting more fruits and vegetables in your diet,

message me on Instagram @fitwhit903 or contact me through my website, Fit-Whit.com