You may have heard the saying “eat the rainbow” or heard me carry on about the importance of a colourful varied diet. I think it’s about time we break down why having a colourful plate is key to supporting your body!

The Magical Colours of the Rainbow through Food

Eating the rainbow means eating an assortment of colours in your vegetables and fruit intake. Produce pigments all have unique health properties due to their varying phytochemicals. Eating the rainbow also ensures your body receives a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Want to nerd out on veggie & fruit colours!?
Oh good, here we go:

Yellow and Orange

These contain beta-carotene which converts in the body into vitamin A. Vitamin A is an essential nutrient and is important for eye health, immunity and reproduction. Some examples include carrots, grapefruit, pumpkin, corn, sweet potato and capsicums.

Greens

Eat your greens” the classic mum dinner phrase! But she was on the money, the green colour is due to the pigment chlorophyll. All your greens are packed full of nutrients to help you thrive. Load em up! Kale, spinach, lettuce, peas (check they aren’t artificially coloured!), beans, zucchinis... you get it!

Purples

This colour is due to anthocyanin antioxidants. They are seen in red, purple and blue plants. Yes, grapes. Yes, red wine. I know your mind went there! So as antioxidants they fight free radicals, reduce inflammation and have anti-viral and anti-cancer benefits. So, we are talking produce like red cabbage, blueberries, red onions and eggplants.

Reds

These contain carotenoid lycopene. They have strong antioxidant properties, support heart health, anti-cancer benefits and more. Time to include more tomatoes, red capsicums, watermelons and papayas.

How to Eat the Rainbow!

Focus on wholefoods It’s time to ditch the packets and replace them with wholefoods. If I were to have sneak peek into your pantry, would it be filled with single ingredients or full of packets?

Vegetables and fruit should be the basis of your diet. We all know how good they are for us! So, buy some, get cooking and enjoy!

The government guidelines indicate that you should be having two serves of vegetables at every meal. A serving of veg is considered 1 cup raw veggies or ½ cup cooked. I’m definitely not one to follow the flawed guidelines, so I would like to add an “at least” to that. Yep, like I said, veggies should be the majority of your meal! Try centre your meal around vegetables, as we discussed in my gut health 101 article, diet diversity is key!

Eating seasonally is a great way to ensure diversity, read more on this here.

So, it IS sunshine and rainbows when you’re eating a colourful diet. I hope this has inspired you to look at your plates with nourishing rainbow lenses on!

Do you have a favourite colour? I’m all about the greens.

After some Colourful Recipe Inspo?

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My Low Tox Food Program is my signature program and honestly my true passion. It will help you get back in touch with REAL food. I go through every food product imaginable, giving you the confidence that what you are adding to your shopping trolley is free of nasties, additives and is actually going to nourish your body.