Five colours you should be EATING daily
Yes…colours…eating.
Our food should not only taste delicious, it should look that way too – a colourful feast for the eyes - to know you’re getting the most nutrition out of your meal.
The variety of colours in your smoothie or on your dinner plate, reflect a rainbow of nutrients just bursting from their plant-cell-membranes, to make you glow from the inside out.
‘Eat the energy you want to become’
~ Deanna Minich
Phytonutrients (compounds that occur naturally in plants) are found in fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, and other plants. Unique and specific phytonutrients produce the variety of colours in our fruit- and salad-bowls. And each of these have benefits for our health.
Eat RED
The potent antioxidants Lycopene, Anthocyanin and Astaxanthin are in your red foods. Lycopene reduces risk of prostate, breast and skin cancer and is great for promoting sperm quality. Anthocyanins help with blood pressure management and reduce the risk of diabetes complications. Astaxanthin is a great antioxidant for the liver.
Plate up: cooked and fresh tomatoes and tomato-based products (like tomato paste), watermelon, guava, raspberries, cherries, strawberries, beetroot, red apples, red cabbage, red onion, red kidney beans, salmon, trout, red capsicum, red grapes, promegranate, red-skinned potato, radish, rhubarb.
Eat ORANGE
Containing Beta-carotene and Bioflavonoids, orange foods are potently antioxidant. Beta-carotene boosts immunity, reduces cancer risk, promotes good vision and may improve ovulation. Bioflavonoids reduce heart attack risk, reduce inflammation, and help maintain healthy skin and mucus membranes.
Plate up: carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, mango, apricot, peaches, oranges, grapefruit, mandarins, lemons, tangerines, paw paw, nectarines, pineapple, yellow capsicum.
Eat GREEN
Yes, you’ve heard it one hundred times before – eat your greens. And for good reason! They contain Lutein, which maintains vision and reduces the risk of cataracts or macular degeneration; Indoles, which help with healthy oestrogen metabolism; Chlorophyll, a strong plant antioxidant; and Folate, helping with cellular growth and healthy DNA formation.
Plate up: Kale, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, peas, beans, kiwifruit, cabbage, brussels sprouts, bok choy, rocket, watercress, leafy greans, green capsicum, green apples, asparagus, avocado, cucumbers, limes, zuchinni.
Eat PURPLE
The Anthocyanins in purple foods, being strongly antioxidant, reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimers disease.
Plate up: Blueberries, blackberries, mulberries, elderberries, purple grapes, prunes, plums, eggplant, purple kale, figs.
Eat WHITE
Containing Allicin, white foods strongly promote good immunity, lower cholesterol and help manage high blood pressure.
Plate up: Garlic, onions, leeks, shallots
Try to create a rainbow on your plate, or over the day, by consuming a variety of different coloured vegetables. Aim for five (or more!) serves of vegies a day to really make your meals as nutrient-dense, as colourful and as delicious as possible.
Experiment with your vegie preparation techniques – mashing, steaming, baking, grating, grilling – with different vegies than you usually would.
Try this vegie-laden, colour-wheel of a soup by the wonderful Lee Holmes, from her Supercharged Food blog and cookbook.
http://www.superchargedfood.com/create/recipe-book/vegetable-soup-on-a-cold-night/
If you have any questions about how your diet can nourish your health, hormones and fertility, please book an appointment with me to discuss.
…I love talking about all this stuff, all the time! Stay connected…
