It's important to eat the rainbow because different colors indicate the presence of different nutrients. I have listed the nutritious benefits of each food by color. So you can start eating the rainbow today.
How to Eat the Rainbow
How to eat the Rainbow? I'll tell you how. Start with this fresh and fun fruit explosion on top of a rainbow smoothie. Or present this platter on top of any smoothie recipe, or even nothing at all, just the fruit and veggies!
What is Meant By Eat A Rainbow?
Eating the rainbow is a way of eating a balanced diet based on colors. It is also sometimes called "eat your colors". Foods of a similar color tend to have similar nutrients. By eating a few examples of each color of the rainbow each day is a way to eat a fairly balanced and nutritionally sound diet.
Why Is It Important to Eat the Rainbow?
Because eating the rainbow is the best way to get all the nutrients your body needs each day. A balanced diet ensures that each of your body processes is getting the nutrition it needs to function at it's optimum level.
Basically we should be eating red, orange, yellow, green, purple, and white plants daily. Each color fruit or vegetable contains some essential supporting nutrient.
Eating A Rainbow of Raw Foods is Even Healthier
Now, eating the rainbow means eating an assortment of foods, that can be cooked or not. However, there is a general consensus in the scientific community that eating less cooked foods leads to higher nutrition.
That's because when a food is cooked, the nutrition is generally diminished.
However, moderation in life is the key to happiness, no? So you decide on how much cooked and raw food to incorporate into your daily diet.
Now, you didn't think I was going to leave things here, right. Of course you are curious now about what color food does what nutritionally. And I've got your back!
A Food Color Chart Of What You Should Eat, Color by Color
Here are just a few benefits per color:
1. RED: has lycopene, which protects again disease and contributes to eye and heart health. EX: Strawberries, raspberries, cherries, rhubarb, watermelon
2. ORANGE & YELLOW: has beta carotene, which supports eyes, skin, immune system. EX: Carrots, peppers, yellow cabbage, persimmon, cantelope
3. GREEN: has lutein, which protects against disease, supports immune system and much more. EX: leafy veggies, green peppers, kiwi, avocado, celery
4. BLUE & PURPLE: has flavonoids and anthocyanins which boost brain power, and the immune system. EX: Blueberries, blackberries, purple cabbage
5. WHITE & NEUTRAL: Many essential nutrients missing in other foods. EX: Apples, pears, bananas, zucchini, cucumbers, mushrooms, onions, dragonfruit, coconut (Nutritional science categorizes a food color by the flesh, not skin..)
Easiest Way to Eat The Rainbow
Is with a smoothie! Just throw in 3-4 cups of veggies and fruits and you have half your 5-a-day or more covered!
I have smoothies on my blog to help you out but best of all I just released a 4-Ingredient Smoothie & Juice Book! It will really help you make rainbow smoothies fast. Learn about this book, for sale worldwide here.
To start you off this second, I have also provided you with a healthy rainbow-based Berry Zucchini Cilantro Smoothie below.
You can use store-bought yogurt or make your own coconut yogurt (my recipe here). Or swap the yogurt for a decadent cashew cream (try this recipe).
Eat it alone or top it with a rainbow of fruits as I did! Enjoy a rainbow day on me!
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Rainbow Berry Zucchini Cilantro Smoothie
Ingredients
- 3 cups strawberries (pink, red)
- ¼ cup blueberries (blue, purple)
- ¼ cup yellow bell pepper (yellow)
- 1 cup frozen zucchini (white - inside is what counts) peeled
- 2 cups plant yogurt
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro (green)
- ¼ cup white chia seeds
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Blend all the ingredients, pour in your serving platter and top with a rainbow array of fruits.
- I served mine for a brunch in a platter, andn topped it with fresh green grapes, kiwi, oranges, cantaloupe, mangoes, persimmons, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, passion fruit, dragon fruit, and cilantro.
- For optimum nutrition, eat the same day it is blended.
Nutrition
Dee Dine is founder of Green Smoothie Gourmet, a plant based recipe blog, and author of the recent cookbook, Crazy Healthy with 4 Ingredients and another immunity-boosting smoothie shot book, 4-Ingredient Smoothies + Juices , due out in January 2021. On this blog you'll find incredibly easy recipes with hidden veggies for anyone wanting to eat healthier, regardless of diet. Dee has graduate degrees in sciences and journalism, editor at The Feedfeed and a nutritional expert at WikiHow. More about Dee Dine here.
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