Eat The Rainbow: Health Benefits of Every Color

Spring Nutrition Goals: Eat the rainbow every day. As a great dietary habit, do your best to eat 4-5 different colors with whole foods, fruits, and vegetables each day. This is a fun and visual way to ensure you’re getting in a variety of absorbable nutrients along with some excellent, long-term health benefits. Spring and summer are prime times to enjoy these fresh, seasonal foods in smoothies, salads, stir-fries, and creative breakfast bowls. 

Eat The Rainbow: Health Benefits of Every Color

Red

Apples, cherries, strawberries, tomatoes, rhubarb, pomegranate, radishes, raspberries, red peppers, plums, grapes, goji berries, grapefruit, blood oranges, beets, adzuki beans. 

Benefits: Anti-inflammatory, heart health-supportive, detoxification, and liver supportive. antioxidants

 

Green

Collards, kale, swiss chard, broccoli, artichokes, asparagus, peas, okra, zucchini, arugula, spinach, dandelion greens, bean sprouts, green peppers, celery, bok choy, cucumbers

Benefits: Anti-inflammatory, brain and skin health, hormone, and liver support. 

 

Blue / Purple

Blueberries, purple onions, blackberries, plums, huckleberries, cabbage, prunes, grapes, olives, eggplant, figs, purple carrots

Benefits: cell-protective, anti-inflammatory, cognitive supportive, heart health, antioxidants

 

Yellow

Yellow bell pepper, Asian pears, ginger, lemon, pineapple, starfruit, summer squash, corn on the cob, banana

Benefits: Eye health, vascular and heart supportive, cell-protective

 

Read More: Batch Cook: Weekly Spring Staples

 

Orange

Oranges, pumpkins, apricots, carrots, acorn squash, yams, cantaloupe, mango, tangerines, turmeric nectarines

Benefits: Anti-inflammatory, immune supportive, vitamin A, skin health 

 

When making snacks or meals, aim for as much variety as you can. Each time you visit the store or farmers market, aim to collect something with every color and then mix and match it with your recipes. If time is a constraint with your nutrition practice, as soon as you return home prep and chop your veggies for quick meals and snacks. 

 

Click here for more information about personalized nutrition support at Richmond Natural Medicine.