Hey There Friends! How’s it goin?
If you’ve seen my goals for this week, you’d know that I’m taking a much needed look at things I’ve been neglecting recently, like my diet.
I try to eat healthfully as often as I can. I drink lots of water, eat fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats. I try to stay away from fast foods, sodas and red meats.
But is it enough?
Do I really have a “Healthy Diet”?
Do I get the right amount of nutrients? Am I getting too little of one? Too much of another?
Am I eating right for my body? Should I become a vegetarian or a vegan or a pescatarain or start eating gluten free or paleo or…GAHHHH I don’t even know 😯
When you really consider all the different possibilities, don’t you just want to rip your hair out?!?!
But I like my hair and I’m sure you love yours too. So let’s not be too hasty 😉
It’ll take way more than one post to delve into all the things that make up a healthy diet so how about we start somewhere simple:
Eating a Rainbow of Fruits and Vegetables
Almost everyone knows that you’re supposed to eat fruits and vegetables. That was probably the second thing you learned in the kitchen…right after ‘Don’t play with knives’ 😉
But I digress…
While eating fruits and vegetables is most definitely a key part of maintaining a balanced and healthy diet, did you know that it’s important to eat all colours of fruits and vegetables?
If you eat the same fruits and vegetables with every meal, it probsbly isn’t doing as much good as you think it is 😕 .
Why should you Eat the Rainbow?
Fruits and vegetables get their array of colours from something called phytochemicals or phytonutrients which have health benefits that go beyond what we get from essential nutrients. Basically, they’re kind of like super-nutrients 😆
Research has shown that phytochemicals have various disease-preventing properties like:
- Strengthening the immune system
- Lowering the risk for certain cancers
- Helping ward off type 2 diabetes
- Reducing high blood pressure
So hell yea we should be trying to get as many of them as possible!
How? By eating as many differently coloured foods as we can.
And I don’t mean colours like magenta or neon green that you’ll probably only find in jelly beans 😉 . I’m talking about colours that occur naturally like red, yellow/orange, blue/purple, white and green.
So, what fruits and vegetables should you be eating?
That’s a lot of information to go through and I’m pretty sure no one wants to memorize all that. So here’s an awesome, pinnable graphic for you 😉
It’ll tell you why you should be eating the rainbow and which fruits and vegetables have the benefits you need!
Pop Quiz
Do you know what causes fruits and vegetables to have different colours?
- Red fruits and vegetables are given their colour by the phytonutrient lycopene.
- Yellow/Orange fruits and vegetables get their pigment from beta-carotene, vitamin C and beta-cryptoxanthin.
- Blue/Purple fruits and vegetables are these colours mainly because of their anthocyanin content.
- ‘White’ fruits and vegetables get their colour from something known as anthoxanthins.
- Green fruits and vegetables get their colour from – you guessed it! – chlorophyll! (Good to know that high school bio was useful after all 😉 )
What about you?
Do you eat a variety of fruits and vegetables?
What colour are you missing from your regular diet?
What else do you think makes up a healthy diet?
Share in the comments below!
Since my wonderful husband bought me a Nutribullet for Christmas and I have been faithfully following my awesome daughter’s health blog 😀 (Wink! Wink!) I have probably consumed more raw green leafy stuff in one month than I did in the first 50+ years of my life! Actually had collard greens (first time ever) in my Nutriblast this morning…great stuff! Always wondered why it is mentioned in every single American south movie…now I know. Didn’t expect the leaves to be so big though…a leaf can double as an umbrella!
HAHA Mummy you crack me up! Also, I had collard greens for the first time (that I can remember) this week too! I put it in a ‘dessert’ chocolate-pb smoothie last night to add some extra nutrients and it was pretty awesome 😀
GiselleR recently posted…Goals, Dreams & Weekly Deadlines
This is awesome! I think I generally do pretty well but there is always room for improvement.
Lora @ Crazy Running Girl recently posted…Faces of Fitness: Enjoying the Course
So true Lora! I do pretty okay myself but the only ‘white’ fruit I really eat is banana, so like you said there’s definitely room for improvement lol
GiselleR recently posted…Rolled Oats vs Bread Crumbs
LOVE this infographic! I am thrilled to report, that I eat the rainbow – and I ain’t talking Skittles!!
GiGi Eats Celebrities recently posted…Quiz: What Food-borne Illness Are You?
Thanks GiGi! Glad you like it 😀
And YAY you for getting some non-skittles rainbow goodness in lol
LOVE your information and LOVE the infographic!
Thanks Terri! 😀
Great info! I need to pin that graphic about the colors! Love it!
Kristin recently posted…{Healthy} Tips and Tricks Tuesday #26
Glad you like it Kristen!
GiselleR recently posted…In the Dance Fitness Jamaica {Review + Giveaway}
Great infographic! I really try to eat the rainbow, but most of my yellows come from bell peppers. What else is yellow besides squash?
Thanks Brooke! Also, you can get the benefits of yellow/orange foods from things like pineapple, citrus fruits, yellow apples and sweet potatoes.
Let me know if you have anymore questions 😀
GiselleR recently posted…In the Dance Fitness Jamaica {Review + Giveaway}
Love it Giselle! And when you take pictures of your food, the rainbow makes for better looking pics. haha! Sharing this now…your post that is.
Amee @ didsomeonesaychocolate.com recently posted…Friday Favorites– Some Lotion, A Few Nuts, and a Phone Stealing Kitten
So true Amee! I took a pic of different coloured peppers last night and it was just soooo pretty 😀 And thanks for sharing 😀
Thanks so much for this. I’m working on improving my self-care through the basics, like healthy eating. I am not unwilling to eat well. I even like raw foods better than processed or fried. But sometimes I forget what my options are. It really does help to have things spelled out. I am bookmarking this for later.
And happy Sharefest!
misssrobin recently posted…A Few Recent ZIA Pieces
Glad you like it! And thanks for stopping by 😀
GiselleR recently posted…In the Dance Fitness Jamaica {Review + Giveaway}
I love this! I am trying to make some huge changes to my diet and I always feel weird when all the food on my plate is the same color…glad to know I’m not nuts. This is a great post, and I’ll be sharing!
Thanks for linking up to Wordy Wednesday! 🙂
Carrie recently posted…Weight Watchers, Week 1: Smart Start (I Survived!)
Very Informative post. It describes the current scenario very briefly.
Thanks for sharing. Its really informative.
Very informative blog. Thanks
Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed reading it. Eating fruits is very important for our health.
Great blog ! Much better & more interesting than any nutrition article I’ve had ~ thanks!
Calcium Citrate 1000 mg recently posted…5 Things You Can Do for a Healthier Thanksgiving