Fruits and veggies offer many benefits to you and your family (so much so that they now take up half of the USDA's MyPlate, so it is important to know how each "group" contributes to your long term health. And the easiest way to do that? By remembering the colors of the rainbow! While you won't find a pot of gold at the end, you will find delicious, fresh and healthy food choices your whole family will love.
Eating Rainbow
Red
Red foods contain lycopene that helps rid the body of damaging free radicals, protect against prostate cancer, as well as heart and lung disease. The red foods are loaded with antioxidants thought to protect against heart disease by preventing blood clots and may also delay the aging of cells in the body.
Red foods include
- Tomatoes
- Beets
- Radishes
- Red cabbage
- Cherries
- Cranberries
- Pink grapefruit
- Red grapes
- Red peppers
- Pomegranates
- Red potatoes
- Watermelon
- Raspberries
- Red apples
- Rhubarb
- Strawberries
Orange and Yellow
Orange and yellow foods contain alpha carotene, which protects against cancer, but also contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A to protect the skin against free-radical damage. Beta-carotene is also good for night vision.
Orange and yellow foods include:
- Yams and sweet potatoes
- Carrots
- Yellow apples
- Apricots
- Butternut squash
- Cantaloupe
- Grapefruit
- Lemons
- Mangoes
- Nectarines
- Oranges and Tangerines
- Papayas
- Peaches
- Pears
- Yellow peppers
- Persimmons
- Pineapple
- Pumpkin
- Yellow summer or winter squash
- Sweet corn
- Yellow tomatoes
Green
Green foods contain chemicals that help ward off cancer by inhibiting carcinogens. Chlorophyll is the component that makes plants green, and is purifying in the body. Many green foods also contain calcium and minerals.
Green foods include
- Kale, spinach and other leafy greens
- Green apples
- Artichokes
- Sea vegetables
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Green beans
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Green cabbage
- Cucumbers
- Green grapes
- Kiwi fruit
- Lettuce
- Limes
- Green onions
- Peas
- Zucchini
