Adding Color to Your Plate
By Donna Stark
There are a lot of things in life that can help determine who or what is going to come out on top, or in other words, who or what is going to win. Maybe it's the size of the competitor, maybe it's their strength or wits, but when it comes to a healthy diet and overall wellness, it's color that always wins. You have heard time and time again to "eat a rainbow," but aside from making your plate look really pretty, do you really know why? Let's take a look at some of the most important reasons to add more color to your life.
Eating a Rainbow
Eating a wide selection of colorful fruits and vegetables is the easiest (and tastiest!) way to get all of the vitamins, nutrients, and minerals your body needs to function well and thrive! And since each color brings its own set of particular health benefits, it's important to choose them all. Take a look.
- Reds - Red fruits and vegetables help fight cancer, reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease, and improve the quality of your skin. Some of the top choices to throw into your cart at the store are red bell peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, watermelon, cranberries, cherries, and beets.
- Oranges and yellows - Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables boost your immune system, reduce the risk of heart disease, and promote eye health. Choose oranges, grapefruit, lemons, mangoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, cantaloupe, and peppers.
- Greens - Green fruits and vegetables boost the immune system, detoxify the body, and help to restore energy. When hitting up your local farmers market choose items such as broccoli, kale, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, grapes, apples, asparagus, spinach, avocado, kiwi, and edamame.
- Blues and purples - Blue and purple fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of cancer, decrease inflammation, and help to fight aging. Some star items in the color group are blueberries, blackberries, grapes, eggplant, plums, and prunes.
Creating Those Pretty Plates
Instead of consuming all of those ho-hum meals that aren't even pretty enough for a picture, start choosing ingredients that will make your meals fabulous! Here are some suggestions.
- Breakfast - Stop with the boring cereal, eggs, and yogurt, pull out some colorful ingredients, and make your breakfasts exciting! Top your oatmeal and yogurt with bright red berries or stuff your omelets with peppers, broccoli, and spinach.
- Lunch - Skip the greasy burger and make a salad instead! Salads are the easiest way to get color into your diet. Just keep adding all kinds of vegetables (and fruits!) to the mix!
- Dinner - Make vegetables the main dish. Or at the very least, make a couple that you can fill your plate with. The options are endless!
Color Wins
It's easy to fall into routines with our favorite foods but the truth is, our bodies need variety. So start filling your body with nutrition by filling your plates with color. And start today! There is no better time to begin a new, healthy lifestyle!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Beaverton, Ore.
