How to eat a rainbow

Eating large amounts of colorful fruits and vegetables along with a diet of whole grains/cereals and beans can provide the kids a powerful health benefit. The different colors of fruits and vegetables have different, wide range of valuable nutrients to fight diseases and stay healthy. And as sometimes kids need to eat with their eyes first, a colorful meal will encourage them to eat it all! The more colorful, the healthier the meal is. Check out some of the benefits of each color group and play around to make the most of it!

White foods participate in creation of an anti-bacterial and anti-viral environment in our body. They help maintain healthy heart and bones, keeping our body strong and less tired. Eating white foods lowers cholesterol levels and decreases the risk of some cancers.

Yellow foods can strengthen our immune system, promote heart and vision health. It helps to keep our teeth and gums healthy, to heal cuts, to prevent inflammation and improve circulation. Vitamin C contained in yellow foods aids in iron absorption.

Orange foods give us the right amount of potassium and vitamin A, which keeps our eyes and skin healthy, protects against infections and builds strong bones. Orange foods are also known to boost our immune system because of the vitamin C content in many of them and to protect our nervous system. They can also shield our hair from the harmful rays of sun and keep the moisture within.

Red foods help to have a healthy heart, to improve our memory function and urinary tract health. They also contain high amount of vitamin C, which helps encourage cellular renewal in our body. Eating red foods may protect our skin from the harmful rays of the sun, lower the risk of some cancers and help reduce DNA damage to our cells.

Green foods help to support healthy cells, lungs, bones, teeth, arteries and vision. They are also good for the circulatory system, strong hair and healthy liver function. The essential nutrients found in green foods can help to protect from cancer and high level of bad cholesterol, regulate digestion and improve immune system functioning.

Purple foods help to increase calcium absorption for bone growth, support digestion, improve circulation, prevent blood clots and promote anti‐aging. They are also known to help memory function, boost brain health and vision. They can give you extra protection against some types of cancer and urinary tract infections.

I will try to regularly update the table below, so check it up from time to time to see my new findings added. If you have any suggestions or ideas you think should be part of it, don’t hesitate to let me know, either via mail or a comment form below. Be inspired!

Fruits	Veggies	Other Food
apple coconut lychee nectarine melon peach pear white currant	asparagus banana cauliflower celery root corn kohlrabi leek mushroom (fresh) onion persil root radish (inside) turnip white beans	cheese (e.g. cottage cheese, goat cheese, feta, ricotta, etc.) egg white fish ice cream grated coconut popcorn potato rice sliced almonds sour cream tortilla whipped cream white meat yogurt
apple golden kiwifruit grapefruit lemon persimmon pineapple plums raspberry yellow watermelon	corn pepper potato tomato yellow beans zucchini	bread cheese couscous chips egg yolk kasha pasta polenta raisins rice cooked with safran scrambled eggs yellow corn tortilla
apricot cape gooseberries clementine mango melon nectarine orange papaya peach tangerine	carrot cauliflower pepper pumpkin squash tomato	corn tortilla chips salmon sweet potato
apple cherry figue grapes pomegranate raspberry strawberry watermelon	bean beetroot onion pepper radicchio radish rhubarb tomato	beetroot chips gnocchi (can be red when beet is added) ham jam jelly meat
apple grapes melon kiwi lime	artichoke asparagus avocado broccoli brussels sprout cabbage green beans celery cucumber endive leek lettuce olive pepper spinach zucchini	basil chive gnocchi (can be green when spinach is added) green pasta olives parsley
grapes figue plum	cabbage	olives purple potato
dried date	eggplant (cooked) mushroom (cooked)	bread kasha nuts meat (cooked) rice raisins
blackberry blackcurrant blueberry dried plum elderberry	beans	blue corn tortilla chips black rice bread olives

How to eat a rainbow