Eat a rainbow: Why colourful food is good for you
Eating colourful food is a great way to include a variety of vitamins and minerals in your diet.
Next time you sit down for a meal, count the number of natural colours on your plate.
Can you tick off every colour of the rainbow? Reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and purples?
Or does your average plate of food look a little lack-lustre? More beige than bold?
If you struggle to count more than a few colours, you’re not alone. Most of us find it easy to eat lots of white and beige foods, but come up short on colours. Or, we might have a few favourite colours – like green and red – but rarely eat blue.
Why eating a rainbow is good for you
Where there’s natural colour, there’s likely to be vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
You’ve probably heard that carrots are good for eye health. That’s because carrots contain beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A when you eat it, and vitamin A is excellent for your vision. Beta-carotene is also what gives the carrot its orange hue.
Different colours contain different phytonutrients. When you eat a rainbow, you’re more likely to get a variety of vitamins and minerals. And, the more vibrant the fruit or vegetable, the more protective the phytonutrients.
How to add more colour to every meal
Here are some simple ways to up the colour count of every meal, from nutritionist Nikki Hart.
Transform your favourite meals
One of the best things about eating a rainbow is you don’t necessarily need to forgo your favourite foods – you just need to add some colour to them.
“Take breakfast as an example. If you love eggs, that’s great – but add a slow-cooked tomato and some spinach,” suggests Nikki.
“Or if you want to boost your Weet-Bix and milk breakfast, add frozen berries for a burst of colour”.
Shop by colour
Next time you’re at the supermarket or shopping online, challenge yourself to add every colour of the rainbow to your trolley.
Greens, reds, yellows, and oranges are usually fairly easy to tick off, but blues and purples can be more difficult.
“Have you ever wondered why you feel so great at the end of summer? Apart from all the vitamin D, it could be because you’ve been enjoying more blueberries and beetroot, which are thought to be great for immunity,” explains Nikki.
Eating more fruit and vegetables doesn’t have to be expensive, you can always supplement with frozen or canned in juice.
Embrace herbs, spices, stocks, and broths
When most people think of eating a rainbow, they think of raw salads and steamed veggies. These foods are excellent, but they’re not the only way to increase your colour count.
“You don’t need to eat a bucket of broccoli to tick off the colour green. A handful of chopped coriander or a few basil leaves pack a good nutritional punch,” says Nikki.
“Stocks and broths also tend to be packed with veggies, herbs, and spices, all of which are great ways to add colour to your diet.”
Get creative
Once you start actively looking for natural colour, you’ll notice it everywhere. From fermented vegetables to beetroot hummus, colour is plentiful.
“Get creative and try different colour combinations each week,” suggests Nikki.
“Add fruit slices to a salad, or sliced tomato over pesto on wholegrain toast, or frozen blueberries to your porridge; the combinations are endless. Your body – and your tastebuds – will thank you for it.”