Ron Kloes, Chef at Middle Tennessee Medical Center, displays a meal that includes a variety of colorful foods.
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Most people do not realize the importance of a colorful diet and how it affects your overall heath.
The more colorful your diet, the more antioxidants you get. These compounds reduce cellular damage and help prevent heart disease, stroke and memory loss.
Today, our selection of foods is determined by taste, cost and convenience. The high-calorie American diet consists of bland colored foods that are not healthy for your body. Instead of grabbing a handful of grapes for something sweet, we go for the fatty doughnut.
The key to designing a “colorful plate” is to load up on a varied selection of fruits and vegetables broken down into seven different color groups. The color of food is important because the different plant chemicals they represent have different effects on the body.
“When choosing fruits and vegetables, try to include each color group,” said Jen Hartman, outpatient dietician with Middle Tennessee Medical Center. “Aim for at least one fruit or vegetable at each meal and for snacks.”
Here is a simple breakdown of the six colors you should be adding to your plate, and what each has to offer.
Red and Purple:
Includes grapes, red wine, prunes, cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and red apples. These foods contain powerful antioxidants that reduce the risk of heart disease by inhibiting blood clot formation.
Orange:
Includes carrots, mangos, apricots, cantaloupes, pumpkin, squash and sweet potatoes. These provide alpha and beta carotenes.
Orange and Yellow:
Includes orange juice, oranges and tangerines, peaches, papayas and nectarines. These provide B-cryptothanxin.
Yellow and Green:
Includes spinach, turnip greens, corn, peas, avocado and honeydew melon. These foods contribute to eye health.
Green:
Includes broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage and kale. These foods stimulate the genes in your liver to turn on the production of enzymes that break down the cancer-causing chemicals in the body.
White and Green:
Includes garlic, onions, celery, pears and white wine. These foods have been shown to have anti-tumor effects.
In order to lose weight and keep it off for good, you must be willing to change your eating habits. Otherwise your weight and health will continue to fluctuate until you end up with more health problems than you can imagine. By following the colorful foods code above, you will begin to experience the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle.
“There are several ways to add fruits and vegetables to your diet, but remember to think variety and think color.” Hartman added, “A diet rich in color is a diet rich in nutrients, which leads to a healthier you.” |
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