COLOUR YOURSELF WELL: WHY CHOOSING FOODS FROM THE RAINBOW OF COLOURS IS IMPORTANT FOR OUR HEALTH

I like eating colourful food because it’s just so darn pretty and did you know that digestion actually begins with the sight and the smell of foods? When we see food or we smell it cooking our mouth starts to water, our stomach contracts and our intestinal glands will start to leak digestive enzymes…. so it’s like a “head start” on the digestion process before we’ve even put any food in our mouth.

There is another good reason to eat colourful food that has nothing to do with the prettiness of it. When we eat foods from across the rainbow of colours we will be ensuring that we are getting all of the vital nutrients our body needs because each coloured food will provide us a different composition of needed nutrients.

Green Food contains Fiber, Magnesium, Calcium, Folate, Vitamin C , Iron and important phytochemicals like Chlorophyll, Beta Carotene , Lutein and Flavnoids.

So green foods like artichoke, asparagus, avocados, brussel sprouts, broccoli, celery, cucumbers, green apples, green beans, cabbage, green grapes are important to help lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels, fight free radicals, boost our immune system, support good digestion and vision.

Red Food contains important nutrients like Vitamin C, Lycopene, quercetin and Flavonoids

So red foods like beets, blood oranges, cherries, pomegranates, radishes, raspberries, red apples, red bell peppers are important to help support our immune system, our joint tissue as well as lowering blood pressure and helping to lower LDL cholesterol levels.

Yellow and Orange Food contain important nutrients like Vitamin C, Folate, Potassium, Beta Carotene and Letein

So yellow and orange foods like apricots, butternut squash, cantaloupe, lemon, grapefruit, mangoes, oranges, papayas, peaches, yellow apples, yellow beets, yellow winter squash are important to help support our immune system, promote collagen formation and healthy joints, help to lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels and along with magnesium and calcium will help to build healthy bones

White, Brown/Tan Food contains important nutrients like carbohydrates, Vitamin C, Potassium, Folate, Flavnoids and Fructans

So white, brown/tan foods like bananas, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, potatoes, turnips are important to help balance hormone levels and protect us against cancer by activating killer B and T cells.

Blue and Purple Food are high in Vitamin C and important phytochemicals like phenolics and anthocyanins

So blue and purple foods like blueberries, eggplant, grapes, plums, pomegranates, prunes, purple cabbage, black currants, blackberries are important to help support good eye health, lowere LDL cholesterol, boost our immune system and help improve calcium and mineral absorption.

So there's good reason to "Colour Yourself Well" by choosing foods from across the rainbow!