Are You Eating Enough Colour?

Are you Eating Enough Colour

We’ve all heard the phrase “eat your greens”.  But, what we should really be eating is the rainbow.  Phytonutrients come in all different colours—green, yellow-orange, red, blue-purple, and white.  Different colours contain different compounds.  Each of which have unique healing properties.  In order to promote good health eating a variety of colours is crucial.



What Are Phytonutrients?

The term “Phytonutrients” refers to the several thousand healthful, non-nutritive compounds found in plants. These compounds are referred to as “non-nutritive” because they do not supply calories like proteins, carbohydrates, or fats do.

Despite this, they benefit the body in several ways.  Studies show that people who eat more plant foods have reduced risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

In the plant itself, phytonutrients provide many functions.  They protect the plant from pests and environmental stressors, and impart colour and distinctive tastes and smells.

In the human body, phytonutrients;
  • Stimulate enzymes that help the body get rid of toxins
  • Boost the immune system
  • Improve cardiovascular health
  • Promote healthy estrogen metabolism
  • Stimulate the death of cancer cells

This is all pretty powerful stuff!

The Impact Of ‘Colour’

Organic fruits and vegetables are rich sources of phytonutrients.  Same with legumes, herbs/spices, nuts/seeds, and teas.  Aiming for one to two of each colour per day is a healthy goal to strive for.

Darker-coloured plants are generally higher in phytonutrients.  However, fruits and veggies from the white family do have potent contributions to make.

What Do The Different Colours Mean?

red foods

Red foods contain phytonutrients that may help reduce the risk of certain cancers and protect the brain, heart, liver, and immune system.

Examples of red foods:
  • Beets
  • Bell pepper
  • Blood oranges
  • Cranberries
  • Cherries
  • Grapefruit (pink)
  • Goji berries
  • Grapes
  • Onions
  • Plums
  • Pomegranate
orange foods

Orange foods help protect the immune system, eyes, and skin.  They also reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Examples of orange foods:
  • Apricots
  • Bell pepper
  • Cantaloupe
  • Carrots
  • Mango
  • Nectarine
  • Orange
  • Papaya
yellow foods

Yellow foods are beneficial because they contain compounds that are anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory.  They protect the brain, heart and vasculature.  In addition to your eyes, and skin.

Examples of yellow foods:
  • Apples
  • Asian Pears
  • Bananas
  • Bell Peppers
  • Star Fruit
  • Squash
green foods

Green foods contain compounds that are anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory.  They too protect the brain, heart and vasculature, liver, and skin.  In addition, green foods that help with liver function also help balance hormones.

Examples of green foods:
  • Avocados
  • Asparagus
  • Green Apples
  • Bell Peppers
  • Bean Sprouts
  • Bok Choy
  • Broccoli
  • Zucchini
  • Okra
  • Cabbage
  • Celery
  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Cucumbers
purple foods

Blue/Purple/Black foods contain compounds that are anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory.  They too protect the brain, and heart and vasculature.  It’s interesting to note that out of all the colours, this is the category that most people eat the least of.

Too little blue/purple can result in issues with the brain.  This is because these foods protect the brain from damage.  In addition they also promote healthy cognition and memory.
Examples of blue/purple/black foods:
  • Berries
  • Eggplants
  • Figs
  • Plums
  • Prunes
  • Raisins

White/Tan/Brown foods – When thinking of white/tan/brown foods, processed foods may come to mind.  Foods such as;

  • Bagels
  • Cereals
  • Breads
  • Pastas
  • Cakes
  • Cookies
  • Crackers

Avoid those and focus on foods that are beneficial to your health such as;

nuts and seeds
  • Nuts
  • Fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Legumes
  • Spices
  • Seeds

The compounds in these earthy coloured foods are anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory.  Additionally, like green foods, there are certain compounds that can assist with liver and hormone health.

Examples of white/tan/brown foods:
  • Ginger
  • Apples
  • Cacao
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Coffee
  • Coconut
  • Dates
  • Mushrooms
  • Nuts
  • Beans
  • Tea

Eating by Colour

Easy Ways To Eat Your Colours

Start by observing the colours you eat.  Humans are creatures of habit.  As such we generally tend to eat the same foods over and over again.  This does our body a disservice.

In order to get more phytonutrients into your diet, you are going to have to mix things up!   It has been estimated that 80% of people are missing one or more of the phytonutrient colours in their diet.  Which sounds likely when you think that most people stick to eating processed foods that are brown, yellow, or white.

Think of a typical breakfast menu – waffles, pancakes, ready-to-eat cereal, sausage, and eggs.  This doesn’t provide very many phytonutrients now, does it?  Opting for a fruit smoothie with blueberries, peaches, raspberries and spinach would be way more beneficial. There’s four of the seven colours done for the day.

Click here for “Breakfast On The Go – Mixed Berry Smoothie” recipe.

Note: When implementing this way of eating, keep in mind that fruits contain sugar.  Even though it’s a natural form of sugar, fruits can still spike insulin levels.  As such, be sure to load your cart with heaps of colourful vegetables and just a few fruit.

Click here to read, “Is It Time To Stop Eating Fruit?”

Simple Ways To Jump Start A Phytonutrient Diet

First, make it your goal to try one new plant food (fruit, vegetable, nut, seed or legume) per week.  Explore ethnic stores for greater variety.  Second, stock up on organic frozen vegetables for easy cooking or organic berries as they tend to retain their phytonutrients well.  Third, keep fruits and vegetables where you can see them.  This will help you to remember to eat them.

Next, keep a bowl or container of fresh cut vegetables on the top shelf of refrigerator.  Always within easy reach.  If you must eat something sweet after dinner, choose a fruit for dessert (fruit kabobs, berry compotes, fruit salads, etc.)  Have dishes with lots of vegetable variety (e.g., soups, stir-fry).

Try and choose darker vegetables over lighter to maximize nutrient content.  Make the switch from mashed white potatoes to sliced carrots or mashed cauliflower.  Also, toss in red pepper, tomato sauce, garlic, onions or broccoli to omelets.

You can also add rinds of oranges or lemons to your water.  Try a little bit of every colour at a salad bar.  Be generous with your use of herbs and spice.  Devote some time at the start of your week to prepare your meals and recipes.  This will make eating whole foods throughout the week so much easier!

Make It Easy!

To make things easier for myself, I re-arranged my fridge to emphasize the food colours.  Forget separating fruits and vegetables.  I now separate things by colour.  It’s made preparing my meals and shakes so much easier.  I open the fridge and grab at least one or two items from each group.  It’s a good reminder to add variety to my dishes and it looks pretty!

It is also a great way to teach kids about the importance of healthy, colourful foods.  Make them choose which colours they want to eat.  Try making it into a little game.  Have a colour chart that they can check off each day to make sure that they are eating all the colours of the rainbow.

Now go on, eat the rainbow.  Your cells will thank you for it!

Recipes Volume 2 – Hearty and Healthy

Recipes Volume 2 - Hearty and Healthy

It’s time for another volume of recipes! We always focus on finding ways to eat higher quantities of fruits and vegetables. There are thousands of phytonutrients in just one piece of fruit or one vegetable, and the best part is that we haven’t even scientifically identified them all yet, nor do we fully understand how they work synergistically together! But we do know that they are the foods with the densest quantities of vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants, so we try to eat as many servings of F+V as we can every day!

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DINNER:

Easy Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Soup

It’s still winter up here in the northern hemisphere, so we’ll share a delicious, hearty slow cooker soup that you can start in the morning and enjoy at dinner!

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large sweet onion, diced
3 cups diced tomatoes
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped apple (remove skins)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili flakes
1 cup finely chopped kale
1 cup finely chopped spinach
3/4 tsp salt and pepper
5 cups water
1.5 cups cooked quinoa
1.5 cups cooked black beans

Place sweet potatoes, onion, tomatoes, carrots, tomato paste, apple, garlic, cumin, chill flakes, kale, spinach and salt and pepper into slow cooker with water. Cook on high for 4 hours and then add cooked quinoa and black beans and cook for 1 more hour. Enjoy!

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LUNCH:

Jo-Anne’s Amazing (almost) Raw Pad Thai

This is one of my most favourite raw lunch options. It’s so easy to throw everything into the blender, and mandolin/chop up your veggies! (Be careful with the mandolin, those things are dangerous!)

To make the sauce, In a high speed blender, add:
4 pitted dates
3 basil leaves
1 roma tomato
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce if you don’t have aminos)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 shakes ginger powder
5 shakes Himalayan sea salt
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp garlic powder

For the Noodles:

Chop 6-7 large leaves of romaine or leaf lettuce
Mandolin slice 1-2 carrots into match sticks
Mandolin slice 1/2 a cucumber into match sticks
Mandolin slice 1 stalk celery into match sticks
Mandolin slice 2 peppers into slices (choose yellow, orange or red!)

(or you can use your spiralizer for the carrots and cucumber)

Drizzle the sauce over your veggies and enjoy!

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BREAKFAST:

Cherry Berry Smoothie

This is a delicious smoothie to kick start your morning! You’ll love the bursts of flavour to awaken your taste buds and rev up your day! Filled with healthy fats and antioxidants, this one is a keeper!

To your high speed blender, add:

1/2 cup frozen cherries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana
1 handful spinach
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
2 tbsp chia seeds
5 ice cubes
1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk

Blend until smooth and enjoy!! Recipe can easily be doubled to feed the rest of your family!

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