It can be difficult to figure out how to get on the path to healthy eating when you see new nutrition studies, with complicated scientific language, coming out every other week. How about relying on a system so easy it’s color-coded? Natural foods often give you clues about their nutritional values if you look at their colors. Let this rainbow of a guide help you make smart food choices.
The Color-Coded Approach to Healthy Eating
- Be vibrant. Vivid colors suggest that fruits and vegetables are at their freshest. You’ll enjoy more flavor and phytochemicals. These are compounds produced by plants (“phyto” means “plant”) and they have many positive functions, like slowing down the aging process.
- Eat plenty of greens. Green vegetables deliver vitamin K, folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, and more good things with very few calories. Stock up on spinach and broccoli.
- See red. Red foods are high in two phytochemicals called lycopene and anthocyanins. These are good for your heart and lower your risk for certain cancers. Add more cherries, tomatoes, and beets into your diet.
- Pick an orange. Orange and yellow foods are high in vitamin C. Start your day with cantaloupe or pineapple slices. Toss yellow peppers into a salad.
- Feel blue. Blue and purple foods also contain anthocyanins, which increase memory and overall health. Indulge in purple cabbage, eggplant, and blueberries.
Additional Colorful Advice for Healthy Eating
- Cut down on processed white foods. White bread and other refined carbohydrates contain many empty calories because the manufacturing process removes the outer bran and germ that contain most of the nutrients. These foods cause your body to store fat and your blood sugar to fluctuate.
- Look for alternatives to artificial dyes. Synthetic coloring is a cheap way to make food look more attractive. However, experts are concerned about the health effects of dyes. Look for brands that now use spices like paprika instead of Yellow No. 5 dye.
- Manage your appetite. Studies have shown that certain colors encourage us to eat less. The theory is that the color contrast between your food and your plate makes you more aware of every bite. Give blue plates a try for your next spaghetti dinner.
- Slow down. Eating slowly is one way to feel fuller on fewer calories because your brain has time to notice that you’ve had enough.
- Lighten up. Don’t make your nutrition one more thing you have to obsess over Instead of keeping track of which vegetable is best for your health, just add at least 3 colors on your plate at every meal and you’ll be well on your way to covering all your nutritional bases.
If you put at least 3 colors on your plate at every meal, you’ll be well on your way to covering all your nutritional bases. It’s an easy way to achieve healthy eating..
Gather all the colors of the rainbow into your diet while you enjoy a variety of natural whole foods. Counting the colors on your plate is simpler than counting calories if you’re trying to improve your health.
For a personalized clinically designed nutrition plan, find the Nutrition Response Testing® practitioner nearest you and get your body tested. That way you will be eating a colorful diet of fresh, whole feeds that’s been specifically tailored to your body’s needs. When you feed your body the exact nutrients it needs it can start to heal itself.
