Eat a rainbow for health

Hey guys, this is my friend Zoe. I asked her to write some posts because we have similar thoughts on cooking and healthy living. If you like what you read, don’t forget to follow her on Snapchat (@thisiszoeabel) and Instagram (@zoeabel).

I like to stay updated on the best things to put in my body, so I read my fair share about eating healthy. It bothers me how one day something is healthy and the next day it’s not. Take soy for example. Experts said regular milk was bad for you and soy was better and now they are saying soy isn’t really that great either and to substitute it for something else. I hateeeeee that. One fact I noticed that has remained the same over the years is that it’s important to eat every color of the rainbow and unfortunately Skittles don’t count. I noticed I subconsciously have been doing this and I didn’t really realize it. My friend Rinata asked the other day why I always get purple cauliflower and purple potatoes. I noticed it had just become a habit. There aren’t a lot of purple foods, so when I have a choice I tend to go for the purple option. I think they look nicer on a plate next to other foods and also I remember once hearing purple potatoes are the healthiest compared to red or white. Sweet potatoes are great too, but they’re not technically a potato! So back to why eating colors is important. Similar colored foods often have them same vitamins and minerals, so it’s important to mix it up so you get a variety. For example, orange foods like carrots and sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene which is converted to vitamin A, an essential nutrient. Its antioxidant activity helps protect cells from damage. And we are not damaged goods right?! Depending on your skin type, you can also get a lovely mild tan from eating a few extra servings of these orange or yellow fruits and veggies. Note that I said just a few extra servings! Don’t over due it with that horse food sized bag of carrots and you can get carotenemia, a skin disorder that will turn the skin on your palms and the bottom of your feet orange. Along with that not being cute, it’s a pretty serious condition.

Here’s a list of my favorite fruits and vegetables by color. Try eating one of each color every day and change it up with some things on this list that you have never tried. I’ll start posting some recipes on here using different colored fruits and veggies so check back soon! Eating healthy isn’t boring if you keep it interesting with different foods.

Red

Strawberry

Red Pepper

Cherry

Tomato

Watermelon

Radish

Red Pear

Red Onion

Blood Orange

Rhubarb

Cranberry

Red Grape

Red Grapefruit

Raspberry

Pomegranate

Green

Green Grape

Kale

Kiwi

Broccoli

Avocado

Spinach

Honeydew

Green Lettuce

Limes

Zucchini Squash

Green Pea

Artichoke

Green Apple

Asparagus

Green Pepper

Endive

Watercress

Celery

Cucumber

Leek

Brussels Sprout

Yellow

Yellow Apples

Yellow Beet

Yellow Figs

Yellow Pepper

Grapefruit

Yellow Potato

Lemon

Sweet Corn

Pineapple

Yellow Tomato

Yellow Watermelon

Yellow Summer Squash

Jackfruit

Orange

Apricot

Butternut Squash

Cantaloupe

Carrot

Mango

Pumpkin

Orange

Sweet Potato

Nectarine

Orange Pepper

Papaya

Orange Tomato

Peach

Persimmon

White/Brown 

Bananas

Cauliflower

Dates

Garlic

White Nectarine

Ginger

White Peach

Jicama

Brown Pear

Mushroom

Turnip

Parsnip

White Potato

White Corn

Purple/Blue

Blueberry

Purple Potato

Plum

Purple Carrot

Purple Grape

Eggplant

Black Currant

Purple Cabbage

Rasin

Purple Asparagus

Purple Fig

Purple Endive

xo,