Eat a rainbow.
Why?
There is science behind why we should eat a rainbow. The beautiful colours you see in fruits and vegetables is from antioxidant phytonutrients called carotenoids and flavonoids. These amazing phytonutrients have been proven to have a beneficial effect on our health and can even prevent or help diseases. In addition, phytonutrients are very important in helping your body’s natural detoxification systems and boosting your immune system.
You may also know that the health of your gut has a major role to play in your overall health. In order to improve our gut health, we are advised to increase our gut microbiome (the good bugs that live in our digestive tract) by eating a more diverse range of plant-based foods. You may have heard the latest guidance of improving your gut microbiome by eating 30 different varieties of plant foods each week!
I know, at first it sounds like a lot, but trust me, after trying it, it really is not as hard as you think. Trying to eat a rainbow will naturally help you to increase the variety of plant foods in your diet.
Here are some tips for “eating a rainbow”:
- Add 1 or 2 new plant foods to your shopping list each week.
- Make sure you have a good stock of frozen fruits and vegetables in your freezer. I always have frozen spinach, blueberries, raspberries, peas, and broccoli in my freezer. At the moment I love adding frozen fruit to my yoghurt or porridge – it’s great for warm summer days.
- When you look at your plate, look at what colours are missing and see if you can add them, whether with fresh, dried, or frozen fruits and vegetables.
Try this colourful salad, which is packed full of wonderful nutrients and goodness for your body!
Here are some other recipes to try: