Eating the Rainbow: Why Eat a Variety of Colorful Fruits and Vegetables?

Raise your hand if when growing up your parents were always telling you to eat our vegetables! But did they encourage a variety of colorful vegetables and not just green veggies? Now, as an adult and maybe even a parent yourself, you are no longer satisfied with just a plain green salad or green beans thoughtlessly plopped into a bowl from a can. Instead, you now pile your plate high with fresh and crisp colorful fruits and vegetables from your garden or the farmers’ market.

Eating a rainbow of foods is a big plus on the healthy scale, but do you know why eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables is good for you? Consuming different colored foods plays a role in ensuring you are getting enough essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and more. Eating this way can help to protect against many potential body ailments and chronic diseases such as illnesses like the flu, cancers, digestive issues, declining vision, and loss of bone density, and can even help with weight management. Besides, your mood will most likely be lifted when your plate is full of a variety of visually appealing bright colors versus covered in a dull, white, and plain blandness. Brighten up your plate, and you will brighten up your health!

Read on to learn more about some of the benefits of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables from the colors of the rainbow:

Red

• Red color tomatoes contain lycopene, a red pigment that may help with protecting against breast and prostate cancers. Tomatoes are also loaded with antioxidants from vitamins A and C to help protect against cell damage. Leave those tomato skins on and eat raw!
• In its little and plump ruby red seeds, pomegranates are packed with cancer-fighting antioxidants and healthful soluble fiber when you eat the entire seed.
• Red beets are a good source of vitamin C for fighting the common cold and betaine for cardiovascular health. Beets have zero fats, are low in calories, and are a great energy booster because they are high in carbohydrates and a natural source of sugar. Are you a newbie to cooking with beets? Here are two beet recipes to get you started: Grilled Beet Salad with Almonds and Dried Cranberries and Beet Chips (these make for a satisfying midday snack).

Green

• Making its way down the red carpet to our plates is the power-green kale. Highly nutritious and delicious, kale greens are packed with vitamins K, A, and C, iron, and antioxidants like carotenoids and flavonoids. Kale is a fantastic plant-based source of calcium. If you have never tried kale chips, you must make this recipe for Baked Kale Chips, then eat them all!
• Green apples contain a lot of fiber good for digestive and intestinal health, especially when eaten with the skin on. They are low in fat and help to regulate blood sugar, which is important for individuals with diabetes. If you have a craving for a tart, yet sweet treat, make a few raw caramel apples and munch away!

Purple

• Because they are a good source of potassium, snacking on purple figs can help to lower high blood pressure. Figs also contribute to weight loss and management with their dietary fiber and contain a high amount of calcium. Not crazy about the texture of fresh figs but want the health benefits they offer? Try these fig recipes: Gluten-free Vegan Fig Newton Clones and Fig Cardamom Walnut Scones with Cashew Cream.

Orange and Yellow

• Orange color vegetables like carrots contain not only vitamins like vitamin C for immune health but also compounds called carotenoids that aid in maintaining good vision health.
• Whole or squeezed, lemons have incredible immune-boosting powers, and lemon juice is fantastic as a digestive aid and liver cleanser. Drinking warm lemon water each morning is a great way to wake up and flush out toxins. What great health benefits! Lemons also contain citric acid, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, bioflavonoids, and pectin.

White 

• Garlic is not only extremely healthy and tastes fabulous in cooking, but it also acts as a natural health remedy for various ailments, strengthening the immune system, and is used in fighting off infections, congestion, and the flu. Garlic is an excellent source of vitamin B6, which is needed to keep a healthy immune system and for new cell growth. Whether you are down with a cold or just want to begin boosting your immune system, try this garlic recipe from One Green Planet: Roasted Garlic, Miso, and Greens Soup.

Related Content:

• How Eating the Rainbow Can Help Protect Against Cancer
• Eat the Colors of the Rainbow With These Clean-Eating Recipes
• Weekly Meal Plan: Getting Back to Plant-Based Healthy Eating!
• Eat the Rainbow with these 15 Healthy and Colorful Plant-Based Recipes!
• Easy Tips to Get Your Body Ready for Spring by Eating More Raw, Fresh Foods

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, and prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend purchasing one of our many plant-based cookbooks or downloading the Food Monster App which has thousands of delicious recipes making it the largest vegan recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

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