Eating Healthy, Eating the Rainbow

Today's post is inspired by the cookbook Color Me Vegan. It's not, however, exclusively for my vegan friends. Never fear! Meat-eaters who want to make sure they are getting enough of the right vitamins and minerals will benefit as well.

So, how can color impact your health? 

Well besides the emotional and mental effects that colors have on us (blue=peaceful, hot pink=energized, exc. ...), colorful fruits and veggies, according to the book's author, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, can spark creativity and aid in your general health.

She tells us that "choosing contrasting colors (in your meal) can encourage creativity and inspire your inner artist". And indeed, if you check out her recipes, they are all kinds of colorful and artistic-looking!

But let's use our left brain to get a little technical:

There are several health-protective phytonutrients (google that word if you need to :-) in the deeply colored fruits and veggies we can choose from. Here are a few important ones and what they do for us:

• Beta-Carotene helps bolster your immune system.
• Alpha-Carotene helps to stop the development of liver, lung, and skin cancer cells in your body.
• Lycopene has been linked to reduce the risk of prostate and lung cancers.
• Anthocyanins assist in combating cancers cells and diabetes.
• Resveratrol and Flavonols aid the health of your heart.
• Lutein helps to prevent cardiovascular disease and protects your eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration. 

"Riiiiight.... but how do I know I'm eating those things?"

Here's a list compiled by Keri Gans, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, about what kinds of foods you can be on the look out for:

• YELLOW: yellow bell pepper, table queen squash (Beta-Carotene)
• ORANGE: Carrot (Alpha-Carotene); yam, pumpkin (Beta-Carotene)
• RED: Tomato, watermelon (Lycopene); strawberries (Anthocyanins)
• BLUE: blueberries (Anthocyanins); concord grapes (Resveratrol)
• GREEN: spinach (Lutein), kale, broccoli (Flavonols/Lutein)

Hopefully this will give you some ideas about how to incorporate these colorful fruits and veggies into your diet, or at least help you understand the importance of eating a variety of colored foods.

If you're interested in learning more about different benefits of consuming different colors, I suggest you check out Colleen's book! You might enjoy it, and it might spark some creativity into your diet!