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Eat The Rainbow

You may have heard the term "Eat The Rainbow." This refers to eating fresh fruits, veggies, and herbs whose natural color reflect all the colors of the rainbow.

It is natures way of ensuring our bodies are as healthy as they can be. From the red of apples, red peppers, and watermelon; to the yellow & orange of turmeric, carrots and oranges; to the purple of grapes, blackberries and elderberries, we are looking after our health when we add all the foods that God colored to our plates.

You know the old saying "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away." My great grandma Mary used to say (in German), "you can put it on the table or you can pay it to the doctor." She of course meant that you could spend money on nutritious food, or you could pay the doctor when you got sick.

What Does “Eating the Rainbow” Mean?

“Eating the rainbow” means including different colored fruits and vegetables in your meals throughout the week. Each color is linked to unique phytonutrients—plant compounds that support your body in specific ways. I really believe God planned it this way to make sure we are as healthy as we can be.

By choosing a rainbow of produce, you give your body the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and plant compounds it needs to thrive. It’s one of the simplest, most powerful ways to improve your health—no fad diet required.

Different fruits and veggies also have all different types of fiber, which as we know, is something that we really need to have a healthy gut.

So How do you do this? Dietary guidelines suggests adults 1 &1/2 to 2 cups of fruits a day and 3 cups of veggies a day. I can tell you that seemed like a lot when I came off chemo for breast cancer, determined to make my gut healthy again. Eventually I made my goal, but it took time,

So, lets break down what this means so you can pick and choose what to add to your diet to get all the nutrients.

Red and Pink Fruits and Veggies Contain Heart and Energy Boosters

Red and Pink colors mean Lycopene, that supports cardiac health. Preventing cell damage, it is also may help prevent Prostate Cancer and Alzheimer's Disease.

These fruits and veggies would be :

• cherries

• cranberries

• beets

• red bell peppers

• strawberries

• tomatoes

• watermelon

Orange And Yellow Fruit And Veggies Help With Immunity And Eye Health

Orange produce is high in Vitamin A, lutein and zeaxanthin, which helps keep ours eyes healthy. They also have Vitamin C and beta-carotene, (American Association of Ophthalmology) , which your eyes also need.

The yellow and orange fruits and veggies are:

• cantaloupes

• carrots (see your mom was right)

• oranges

• persimmons

• pumpkin

• sweet potatoes

• winter squash

• bananas

• corn

• pineapple

• yellow bell peppers

• yellow onions

White Fruits and Veggies Are Good For You, Too

Not often considered as healthy, potatoes are healthy in their original form, (its all the stuff we put on them that may make them unhealthy.) A large potato can give you 30% of your daily requirement of Potassium, a mineral we need for blood pressure support.

Garlic can give you great tasting foods as well as giving you help in preventing gastric and colon cancers. All the white foods also have fiber, which helps with digestion, blood sugar control, and weight management.

Other white foods for your diet:

• Cauliflower

• mushrooms

• onions

Great Green Fruits and Veggies For Healthy Eating

Leafy greens are just loaded with help for our bodies. They give us vitamin K for bone health, plus nutrients that help cognition. This goes for avocadoes too. A 2021 study in Frontiers In Nutrition, found that those who ate avocadoes scored better on cognition tests than those who did not eat them.

Other research suggests there is a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes in those who ate veggies such as cabbage and Brussel sprouts. All in all, the green fruits and veggies are just packed with good stuff for us including magnesium and calcium.

Other green fruits and veggies not mentioned above:

• kiwi

• broccoli

Blue And Purple Fruits and Veggies Boosters

Blue fruits and veggies get their beautiful colors from anthocyanins, help reduce inflammation and fight free radicals.

Your cognitive abilities and memory may be improved by adding this group to our eating routines. The blues are great anti aging foods.

Think purple for protection. The purples help your heart and research is being done now, that may show that a nutrient in purple foods (eaten daily) may delay the progression of plaque build up in your blood vessels as well as being good for bone health.

Blue fruits and veggies to add to your diet:

• blue corn

• blueberries and juice

• concord grapes

• eggplant

• plums

• prunes

Equivalents to make 1 cup of fruit:

• 1 cup of fresh, frozen or canned fruit (drained/packed with water or fruit juice)

• 1/2 cup of dried fruit

1 cup of veggies:

• 1 cup of frozen, canned (drained, try for the no salt added) or fresh veggies-

• 2 cups of raw leafy greens

• 1 cup of low- sodium tomato juice

Next time your in the store pick different colors of fruit and veggies to have that week. Maybe choose some you have never had before.

“Eating the rainbow” is more than just a catchy phrase—it’s a science-backed strategies for healthy eating and graceful aging. By filling your plate with a variety of colorful plant foods, from God's garden, you’ll nourish your body, protect your health, and even make mealtime more fun.