The Seven-Color Diet
Mascari, Brooke. June 2nd, 2024.
Eat the rainbow!
Eating a multi-colored diet is a simple way to get a broad spectrum of nutritional support.
Foods with deep, rich colors are leaders in antioxidants. These foods contain many phytonutrients that boost immunity and enhance health.
Phytonutrients, also known as phytochemicals, are naturally occurring chemical compounds found in plants.
Fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, herbs, and spices contain potent concentrations of phytonutrients that are responsible for their flavor, fragrance, and color. Think about garlic’s pungent smell, the bitter taste of broccoli, and the dark blue shade of blueberries. There are thousands of phytonutrients with a variety of health benefits.
What's the color of my food telling me? Each color indicates the phytonutrients inside.
Red foods are a good source of lycopene, beta-carotene, and vitamin C.
Lycopene is a powerhouse antioxidant that helps rid the body of free radicals that can cause cellular damage. It may be effective in preventing blood clotting, strokes, heart disease, and prostate cancer.
Red foods include:
Tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, currants, red peppers, red apples, radishes, beets, red chard, red potatoes, red grapes, kidney beans, red quinoa, pomegranates, and cranberries.
Orange and Yellow. These foods provide beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, vitamin C, and flavonoids.
Beta-carotene contributes about 50 percent of the vitamin A in a typical American diet and is an important antioxidant. It's been used to help treat everything from exercise-related asthma, AIDS, heart disease, and macular degeneration to alcoholism, epilepsy, psoriasis, and Parkinson’s disease.
Orange and yellow foods include:
Pumpkin, oranges, carrots, papaya, orange bell peppers, mango, sweet potatoes, peaches, turmeric, nectarines, canteloupe, lemons, pineapple, banana, summer squash, corn, garbanzo beans, and egg yolk.
In Green foods, you will find lutein, chlorophyll, and indoles.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are both antioxidants and carotenoids that have been shown to protect eye health and fight some cancers.
Green food includes:
Green apples, kiwi, lime, green grapes, spinach, lettuce, chard, arugula, kale, green cabbage, broccoli, artichoke, asparagus, celery, avocadoes, Brussels sprouts, and all leafy greens.
Deep blue and purple. These foods are a good source of anthocyanins, ellagic acid, vitamin C, and phenolic acids.
Anthocyanins are flavonoids with potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral benefits. Research suggests that they can help protect against cancer, heart disease, obesity, vision loss, and diabetes. They may also help improve memory and other cognitive functions.
Deep blue and purple foods include:
Blueberries, blue potatoes, blue corn, blackberries, boysenberries, huckleberries, plums, eggplant, concord grapes, red wine, cherries, purple cabbage, figs, black raspberries, prunes, and purple carrots.
White foods contain allicin and antioxidant flavonoids such as quercetin and allicin.
Quercetin is a natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory. It has also been shown to help decrease blood pressure and may help prevent heart disease. Allicin is a powerful immunity booster.
White foods include:
Coconuts, pears, onion, garlic, cauliflower, parsnips, rutabaga, potatoes, mushrooms, jicama, daikon radish, banana, ginger, and rice.
By incorporating the rainbow into your diet, you get a wide variety of disease-fighting and inflammation-reducing phytonutrients—without even thinking about it!
Love and Blessings on your journey!
