Eat the rainbow: Simple ways colorful foods boost your health
By Amy Deahl-Greenlaw, RDN, LDN
Vegetables and fruits come in a rainbow of colors. Each color has unique health benefits. When you "eat the rainbow," you make healthier choices to eat more produce of every color.
Instead of focusing on one "superfood," usually referring to a health benefit associated with a specific fruit or vegetable, an overall healthy dietary pattern includes a variety of foods. Adding more color to your plate with different colored fruits and vegetables helps you get balanced nutrition and supports long-term wellness.
Why colorful foods matter
All fruit and vegetables provide common, beneficial nutrients like fiber and potassium, as well as varying levels of vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. But each piece of produce's color also has its own unique nutrient makeup and contribute to overall health and well-being.
Join us to learn about colorful foods
In the produce section of a grocery store or a farmers market, you'll notice a wide variety of shades of reds, greens, oranges, yellows, whites and purples. While visually appealing, these colors also indicate different phytochemicals. Phytochemicals, also called phytonutrients, give fruit and vegetables their color and provide health benefits when you eat them.
How phytochemicals boost your health
Phytochemicals are naturally occurring bioactive compounds that plants produce for their own protection and growth. You may recognize them from their classifications as carotenoids, flavonoids, flavanols, isoflavonoids and polyphenols.
Many phytonutrients play a significant role in promoting overall health in humans and lowering risk for many chronic diseases including:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Some forms of cancer
- Dementia
Eat the rainbow: the power behind each color
Red (tomatoes, berries, peppers)
Red plant foods contain lycopene which research has shown is strongly associated with:
- Vision
- Improved heart and vascular health
- Regulating blood pressure
- Reducing inflammation
Delicious red fruits and vegetables include strawberries, cherries, red peppers, tomatoes*.
*Tip: Heat or cook tomatoes to help your body absorb the lycopene better. Similarly, canned tomato products have more absorbable lycopene than raw tomatoes.
Orange and yellow (carrots, sweet potatoes, peppers)
In orange and yellow produce, beta-carotene is most abundant. Beta-carotene is commonly known as the plant form of vitamin A and is essential for:
- Healthy eyesight
- Immune function
- As an antioxidant
Tasty orange and yellow plant foods* include carrots, sweet potatoes, oranges, yellow peppers and pumpkins.
*Tip: Consume these foods with healthy fats to allow for absorption of the beta-carotene.
Green (kale, peas, kiwifruit)
Green plant foods contain lutein and zeaxanthins. They act as antioxidants which:
- Aid in reducing oxidative stress
- Improve eye health, particularly in helping reduce the progression of macular degeneration
These nutrients are most abundant in dark green, leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, broccoli, peas and brussels sprouts. They are also found in green fruits such as kiwifruit, green grapes and green apples.
Blue and purple (blueberries, eggplant, purple sweet potatoes)
Blue and purple produce contain anthocyanins. They are most known for:
- Supporting cognitive health
- Reducing inflammation
- Regulating blood pressure
Blue and purple fruits and vegetables include blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, purple carrots and purple sweet potatoes.
White and brown (onions)
These colors may seem duller, but white and brown plant foods brighten up flavors and health. That's because they contain allicin which:
- Acts as an antioxidant
- Improves immune function
- Helps to decrease blood pressure
- Aids in lowering cholesterol levels
Onions and garlic are the white and brown plant foods that contain allicin.
How to "eat the rainbow" everyday
It doesn't have to be complicated or stressful to "eat the rainbow." Make small, sustainable changes each day. Summer makes it easy to eat more colorful foods since so many are in season and at their peak levels of nutrition.
Simple tips to get started
- Incorporate fruits and vegetables as snacks throughout your day
- Add a fruit or vegetable at every meal, including breakfast
- Make your plate colorful by adding more than one veggie
- Try new fruits and vegetables, when you can
- Shop for seasonal, fresh produce
Free events to eat a rainbow of recipes
The registered dietitians from Main Line Health King of Prussia Teaching Kitchen are collaborating with the farmer from our Rooftop Farm for "Eat the Rainbow" events to teach you about the nutrition science and tastes of colorful eating. Join us all summer as each month will feature a different color: June is green, July is orange, August is red and September is purple.
The whole program lets you taste recipes that feature different colors of vegetables and herbs grown at our own Main Line Health King of Prussia Rooftop Farm. All events are free. Spots are limited and registration is required to attend in-person in King of Prussia, PA.
Register to eat the rainbow with us
Healthy eating as part of a healthy lifestyle
There is no single food or nutrient that is the key to good health. Eating the rainbow focuses on variety of color of fruit and vegetables and should be part of your whole healthy eating pattern. Coupled with other healthy lifestyle behaviors, like being physically active, socially engaged and getting all your preventive healthcare appointments and checks annually, all contribute to better overall health.
Next steps
If you can't make it out to our "Eat the Rainbow" events this summer, you can still join Main Line Health's Teaching Kitchen registered dietitians for healthy eating webinars online. Whether you're looking to gain confidence in the kitchen or refresh your weekly menu, we offer free programs that support your wellness goals:
- Join our healthy eating webinars
- Register for in-person Teaching Kitchen classes
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