This is one of those statements many of us heard as kids. Maybe you heard it said, “Make your plate colorful”, or “Add more color to your plate”. I love visual statements like this that help us remember that we get SO MANY nutrients just from foods of various colors. But why is that the case?
When we eat foods from a diverse variety of fruits and vegetables we are offering our body with a unique combination of phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Here are some examples:
Red (Tomatoes, Strawberries, Red Bell Peppers) offer our body support for heart health, boost immunity, and protect cells from damage.
Orange & Yellow (Carrots, sweet potatoes, oranges, mangoes, bananas) support our vision, build healthy skin, and strengthen our immune system.
Green (Spinach, broccoli, avocado, kiwi) help with digestion, overall gut health, and promote strong bones.
Blue & Purple (Blueberries, Blackberries, purple cabbage, eggplant) Support brain function, improve memory, and also supports our heart health.
White & Brown —Yes, these still have benefits too! (Cauliflower, garlic, onion, mushrooms) support lowering blood pressure, reducing inflammation, and have antimicrobial properties!
Whether you are looking to improve your fruit and vegetable intake for yourself or encourage your kids, sometimes knowing what that fruit or vegetable is doing for our body helps encourage us to try them more often.
Did you know that it could take 8-15 times of trying a food before you will learn to accept or like it?! So keep trying!
I challenge you to pick 3 new combinations of colors each week and try to incorporate them into your meals! Don’t forget, we may need to try some of these foods multiple times before we say… no, thank you!