Eat The Rainbow!

Why is it so important to have a colourful diet? Each of the different vegetable colours represent different phytonutrients with specific health benefits that simply make your cells happy!

The absolute stars in nutritional Hollywood are greens! Greens are famous as very potent detoxifiers. If you ever decide to do a little detoxification, topping up your diet with greens is a must! They are great in binding and removing toxic metals such as mercury, getting rid of radiation in the body (boost up especially after a mammogram, dental x-rays, cancer treatment etc.). Broccoli, peas, green peppers and beans, cucumbers, kiwi, green apples and various fresh herbs such as coriander, parsley dill etc. - options are truly countless here 😊. Don’t forget that greens also are a great source of iron, mainly leafy such as kale, spinach, rocket.

Now let’s have a look at red vegetables. They contain lycopene. Lycopene got lately in the press a lot with regards to its anti-cancer properties for being effective, among others, against the prostate cancer. This phytonutrient is also good for heart health. What’s very interesting, is that its absorption improves with cooking. An alternative way of absorbing more lycopene from raw vegetables (e.g. tomatoes) is to add good quality olive oil or coconut oil on it – as fats help the absorption process. Do not limit yourself to tomatoes only, here belong also red peppers, red onions, red apples, pomegranates, cherries, watermelon, beetroots and radishes.

Fruits and vegetables coloured in orange are a source of beta carotene. Beta carotene turns on the vitamin-A, crucial for good vision, skin health, cells lining our respiratory, and the digestive tract within the body. Remember your grandparents’ popular phrase ‘eat your carrots’? They were so right, despite studies about phytochemicals were literally non-existing yet. Here do not belong only carrots though, it’s a very abundant group including a variety of fruits and vegetables such as pumpkins, oranges, orange peppers, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, lemons, bananas etc.

Now the purples – also known as longevity due to their high antioxidant levels – namely the flavonoids; Flavonoids are the most powerful of all the phytochemicals in vegetables. There are many kinds of flavonoids; one of them helps to make our blood vessels healthier therefore lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Flavonoids are also memory-protective, anti-aging and anti-cancerous. In this category we have red cabbage, eggplants, rhubarb, blueberries, blackberries, black currants, grapes, plums etc. Remember – the darker the colour – the more flavonoids it has!

Last but not least, we have whites – immune boosters. These play an important role during the winter months, when cold season peaks. This time of the year introduce more vegetables as garlic, white onions, cauliflower, parsnips, turnips and ginger to keep the threatening colds at the bay. A great new for vegans – mushrooms are an excellent source of immune-boosting D-vitamin - so do not forget about those, too. And how delicious it sounds – homemade hearty mushroom soup with warming spices in one of those rainy and windy days?!

Why not to challenge yourself and make sure your next meal will with its vibrant colours resemble a beautiful rainbow? Step out of your comfort zone, and commit yourself to try a new kind of vegetable every week. The benefits achieved later on will be really rewarding!

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