The Rainbow

On Your Plate

Reds, greens, yellow, purples, whites, too… A colourful diet can help boost brain health, among other benefits. The Rainbow Diet is one you must consider adopting, to bring colour and health into your life

Farzana Contractor, UpperCrust

Text: Lyle Michael

Dorothy sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow to escape from where she was to a world where she could dare to dream and see those dreams come true. On a less dramatic note, we bring you the Rainbow Diet, where you incorporate a spectrum of foods to help you achieve your dietary goals and make your dreams of a healthy lifestyle, both physically and mentally, come to fruition.

From the vibrant red of tomatoes, the deep green of spinach, the sunny yellow of bell peppers to the deep purple of aubergines and plums, and the vibrant orange of carrots, each colour offers a unique array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are essential for our health and well-being. Eat the rainbow, they say. Which figuratively translates to imbibing foods of certain colour varieties and groups to ensure you get the best of nutrition on your plate and to take care of your mental health as well due to the phytochemicals found in them. Simply put, eating the rainbow involves eating fruits and vegetables of different colours every day.

It’s not that hard to adopt the Rainbow Diet in your regimen as we primarily eat with our eyes, the visual nature is what it’s about, and that is the appeal of the diet. It lures you in with its colours and makes the eating much more enjoyable, easier and quicker. We say this because the diet is strictly vegetarian and healthy! Especially, for those who prefer their food meaty
and fried, spicy and sweet and not much for the waistline.

This diet does much for your overall health and well-being, from improving digestive functions to helping regulate brain activity and heart health. Thus, you increase your lifespan… if that’s something that entices you, in today’s day and age, just saying. Some green foods rich in antioxidants help prevent or reduce the occurrence of cancer and its effects while some purple foods may help in combating diseases like Type II diabetes. Red foods have a calming effect against skin ailments while white or brown foods help lower the risk of heart diseases. We’ll get into detail with the types of foods based on their colour and their benefits, worry not.

Red, one of our favourite colours, comes from foods like tomatoes, strawberries, cherries, watermelon, which are rich in lycopene (from the Vitamin A family) and anthocyanins (pigments that give foods their colour). These foods contain folate, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K1, and help reduce sun-related skin damage, act as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents, may benefit heart health and lower the risk of cancer. Dark red foods like the beetroot help promote athletic performance through increased oxygen intake and lowered blood pressure.

Oranges, one of our choicest fruits, is loaded with vitamin C, which is important for your skin, bones, and the absorption of iron. Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin are fibre-rich, contain folate, potassium and vitamin A (beta carotene), which supports eye health and protects against inflammation.

Yellow, one of our lesser picked colours to wear, is very close to orange in the colour spectrum. Opt for bell peppers, lemons, bananas, which are a great source of vitamin C and potassium. They are high in nutrients, antioxidants and bioflavanoids that boost the immune system and protect against diseases. Pineapple is another good food to include, whose consumption has been shown to improve cholesterol and liver enzyme activity.

Green, another colour we own very little of, is however, one of the best and most beneficial food groups to include in your daily diet.

The Rainbow Diet will have you feasting on veggies like spinach, broccoli, kale and fruits like kiwi and green grapes. These foods are packed with chlorophyll, folate and vitamin K, the essential vitamin for blood clotting and the building of bones. Cruciferous veggies like broccoli and Brussels sprouts may help lower the risk of blood pressure and cancer. With chlorophyll, benefits include a boost in red blood cells, help with weight loss and the neutralisation of toxins in the body. And folate is important for neurotransmitter production and mood stability, crucial to preserve and enhance our mental state of being.

Blue, along with purple, are shades we prefer, the darker the better, and foods like blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, red grapes are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins that protect against oxidative stress and can contribute to mood disorders. These foods, rich in folate and Vitamin B (that help the body convert food into energy and metabolise fats and proteins) have anti-ageing properties, reduce the chances of arthritis and help improve memory.

White is not a colour you can go wrong with. When it comes to white foods, get your fill of cauliflower, garlic, onions, white potatoes, mushrooms – brown foods are also included in this colour group – are rich in flavonoids and allicin – a compound found in garlic that can help prevent tooth decay and lower cholesterol. White and brown foods help with heart health and to reduce the risk of cancers such as colon cancer. Nuts can also be included in this group, and we all know how beneficial they can be for our well-being. Remember the story we did on nut butters a few issues ago!