Take a look at the picture above. On the left is a store-bought pot pie. On the right a quick, homemade pasta and broccoli meal. Which one looks healthier? I hope you chose the one on the right. While this particular pasta and broccoli dish isn’t the most colorful meal I could have taken a picture of, it significantly outranks the pot pie in the color department, right?
When is the last time you thought about the color of the food you eat? When is the last time you truly looked at your plate to see if it contained any color? The more colorful your food, the healthier it is going to be, so why not eat rainbows everyday? Or at the very least, rainbowize your food when you prepare your own meal.
Luckily veggies come in a variety of colors. Don’t like green? (I find it so hard to understand how some people don’t like to eat green food. If I don’t eat something green regularly, I start to get the shakes, lol). Anyway, no excuses here because you can try reds, yellows, whites, oranges, purples and blues. I always encourage green, though. I can’t imagine living without broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or sugar snap peas. Let’s break down the colors so you can see the benefits:
Red— these foods contains carotenoid lycopene which promotes prostate and breast health
Blue and Purple— these are great foods for the brain and are excellent sources of antioxidants and many contain anti-aging properties
Green— green veggies are the bomb, in my opinion. They are high in vitamin K, which helps regulate blood clotting. Many are high in vitamin A and are excellent sources of calcium for those wanting to cut back on dairy (which is strongly encouraged!)
Yellow and Orange— these colors are great for the skin and can help improve or maintain skin elasticity. They also fortify your bones and are healthy for your eyes and teeth.
White — White is a color and edibles like cauliflower, onions, mushrooms, and potatoes provide much needed fiber in our diet.
Perhaps a better choice than the store-bought, colorless pot pie would be to make your own and add some colorful carrots, peas, and potatoes. The next time you look at a recipe, ask yourself, will it be colorful? If not, how can I add some color to this meal? How can I rainbowize it? Of course, you don’t need every color of the rainbow in each meal, but at least become aware of what colors are on your plate. That is the first step. Remember, eat the rainbow for better health!
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