The Color-Coded Path to Healthy Eating

It can be difficult to figure out how to eat healthy 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 Fruits and Vegetables

1. Be vibrant. Vivid colors suggest that fruits and vegetables are at their freshest. You’ll enjoy more flavor and phytochemicals. These substances act like antioxidants with many positive functions, like slowing down the aging process.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Feel blue. Blue and purple foods also contain anthocyanins, which increase memory and overall health. Indulge in purple cabbage, eggplant, and blueberries.

6. Choose natural whites. It’s important to distinguish between white bread and white asparagus. Foods that are naturally white have been found to boost your immune system and reduce your risk of heart disease and other conditions.

Additional Colorful Advice for Healthy Eating

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Make your own caramel. Some experts question the safety of artificial caramel coloring used in soft drinks and other products. It’s another good reason to drink less soda and more water. Real caramel is a completely different treat you can make at home for an occasional indulgence.

6. Lighten up. Don’t worry about keeping track of whether butternut squash has more vitamin K than gooseberries. By eating more fruits and vegetables you’ll automatically add more natural color to your diet. 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.

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 lose weight and enhance your overall well-being.

Put More Purple in Your Diet and Boost Your Health

Did you know that eating more purple foods can strengthen your health?

Whether you decide to add purple potatoes or purple cabbage, more purple in your diet is a strong step toward well-being.

Learn more about purple foods and how you can best use them to boost your health:

1. What are purple foods? Purple in the food industry can be defined as everything from deep shades of violet to light lavender.

* Vegetables include eggplant, purple cabbage, purple potatoes, purple carrots, purple endives, and purple asparagus.

* There are also purple fruits such as plums, prunes, raisins, currants, and grapes. Although some would argue about the color, blueberries and blackberries are frequently added to the purple list.

2. Antioxidants. One of the main reasons you want to add more purple foods to your meal plans is because of antioxidants. Foods that have purple pigments in them tend to have higher levels of antioxidants.

* Antioxidants help fight free radicals and cell damage in your body. They're also important for cancer prevention and can help you look younger.

3. Flavonoids and polyphenols. Purple foods are known for having a lot of flavonoids and polyphenols.

* These compounds help fight cancer and inflammation in the body. They also reduce blood pressure and improve circulation. Studies show that these compounds may play a role in killing cancer cells.

4. Other health benefits. Studies continue to show that purple foods have a variety of health benefits:

* They can help your body absorb nutrients, so you avoid malnutrition or deficiencies.

* They can lower cholesterol and boost the immune system. Purple foods may also help the digestive system, since research shows they can help those with ulcers.

* Studies also reveal that purple foods may help prevent urinary tract infections and obesity.

* A report from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) reveals that adding more purple fruits and vegetables can help prevent diabetes in some cases.

5. Adding more purple foods to your meals. Consider these ideas:

* Buy purple grapes instead of green ones.

* Add blueberries and blackberries to your oatmeal or cereal instead of strawberries. You can also add these berries to muffins and other baked goods.

* Eggplants can be added to casseroles or cooked in other ways.

* You can make purple coleslaw with purple cabbage. This is also a fun way to add purple carrots.

6. Purple diet cautions. The purple diet is a fad that requires you to eat nothing but purple foods for three days. This diet is popular among some celebrities who believe the antioxidants and other compounds will help them stay young.

* Although adding more purple fruits and vegetables to your meals is a healthy move, you don't want to eliminate all other foods. Experts share that it's crucial to have a balance of colors on your plate.

* Although the purple diet is high in antioxidants, you may not get enough of other essential nutrients, such as fat or protein.

Boost your health with purple foods! Purple foods can be found in your local grocery store, so it's easy to add them to your diet. Experiment with different recipes until you find your favorites.



Learn more about your health online when you read the rest of our information here about: What are Antioxidants guide and also download the free health report available there!

Warren Tattersall has been a full time nutritional consultant for over 35 years and works with people all over the world to help them improve their health, increase their personal energy levels and to use supplements to assist with diet related health issues.

Just send him a note on the form here - Contact Us - to request a personal no obligation one-on-one consultation with Warren

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