To celebrate National Nutrition Month the American Dietetic Association is encouraging everyone to improve their diet by “Eating Right With Color."
Healthy eating is more than just counting calories; it is also about getting adequate amounts of essential vitamins and minerals. By using color as a guide to healthy eating you are able to increase the variety of the foods in your diet, which can help optimize your vitamin and mineral intake.
The goal of “eating right with color” is to include many different colored foods as part of your meal. Because foods of different color provide different nutrient you also gain different health benefits from each food. Use this guide to bright up the color in your next meal.
A Food Color Guide
Green: High in antioxidants that may promote eye healthy and reduce the risk of cancer
- Fruits: avocado,pears, apples, grapes, honeydew, kiwi and limes
- Vegetables: artichokes, green beans, peas, asparagus, broccoli,Lettuce, green peppers, brussel sprouts, spinach, zucchini, cucumbers, celery, Okra
Orange and yellow: Can help promote a health immune system and heart health
- Fruits: apricots, cantaloupe, oranges, yellow figs, grapefruit, lemons, nectarines, papayas, peaches, tangerines, Pineapple
- Vegetables: squash, Carrots, Pumpkin, corn, yellow peppers, yellow tomatoes
Red: May benefits vision, memory, reduce risk of cancer, urinary tract health
- Fruits: cranberries, red apples, cherries, red grapes, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon
- Vegetables:beets, red peppers, radishes, radicchio, red onion, rhubarb, tomatoes
Blue and purple: may have anti-aging benefits, and help memory function
- Fruits: blackberries, blueberries, plums, raisins, black currents,
- Vegetables: eggplant, purple cabbage, purple potatoes
White and brown: promotes heart health and reduce cancer risk
- Fruits: banana, dates
- Vegetables: cauliflower, Garlic, ginger, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, white potatoes, shallots, turnips, whole grains
This March make the decision to participate in National Nutrition Month by adding brightly colored foods to you diet to help boost your intake of essential vitamin and minerals.
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