Eating Rainbows – And Why You Should Do It More Often!
Do you feel stuck in a rut? Are you always eating the same things every day?
If so, it’s very common, we’re all creatures of habit especially when it comes to food. However, variety of food is an important factor in eating, hence the eating rainbows statement, lol. Studies show that increasing variety of fresh, whole foods helps to round out nutrition and ensure that you get a variety of important vitamins and minerals. Maybe you have heard that you should “eat the rainbow”, enjoying one food from each colour of the rainbow every day.
Examples of rainbow foods:
Red – apples, berries, red peppers
Orange – sweet potatoes, carrots
Yellow – squash, celery
Green – swiss chard, kale, spinach
Blue – blueberries
Purple – berries, eggplant
Antioxidants
By enjoying a rainbow of colours in your diet, you are accomplishing something very important: You are eating an antioxidant rich diet. Antioxidants are natural substances that exist as vitamins, minerals and other compounds in foods. They are believed to prevent disease and aging by fighting free radicals in the body.
What are free radicals?
They form when the body undergoes stress – stress from unhealthy foods, toxins in the environment like cigarette smoke, and even from just ageing, changes in hormones and breathing.
Focusing on antioxidants is great way to stay healthy without jumping on the bandwagon of another fad diet or counting calories until you’re blue in the face! By eating a colourful diet, you will be supplying your body with more power to fight off free radical damage, keeping it younger and healthier for longer.
If you’re finding it difficult to get started, try choosing one or two colours that are usually missing from the food you eat. Focus on eating foods with these colours for the next two weeks, long enough to create a new habit and notice any change you might feel. Enjoy eating the rainbow!
Live Inspired,
Sonja.
