8 Jul 2016
Eat the Rainbow - Colour Coded Eating - Part 1
It is all too easy at this time of year to be lulled in to the ‘latest diet’ craze that promises you can drop 10lbs in a week, especially as going on holiday looms, and thoughts of getting into your bikini don’t exactly fill you with joy! But even if these short term diets get us some results in terms of weight loss initially, the worrying concern is what they do to our metabolisms, our weight and our self-esteem in the long-term. Very often, we quickly regain the lost weight and some more and get unhealthier in the process…
This year – resist temptation! Instead adopt a colour coded approach to eating, ensuring that not only will you eat well and feel great, but you will be safe-guarding your health into the future.
There are mixed messages about just how much fruit & veg we should consume a day – 5 a day, 7 a day or more…But whatever you can manage you will be far better off if you consume a whole rainbow of colours. It is all too easy for us to go to the shops and buy the same things over and over week in and week out. Seasonal eating is not what it used to be with many fruits and vegetables available year round – there is nothing wrong with that per see, it just means we are less in touch with what is at its best in terms of taste and optimal nutrients depending on the time of year.
Fruit and vegetables contain phytonutrients – this is what gives the items their colour, these phytonutrients were originally intended to support the plants growth and to offer protection against insects and disease. It is these benefits that are now being researched and are believed to be helping humans in fighting disease as well.
So, simple rules to follow:
- At each meal – include at least two different colour vegetables.
- Don’t forget breakfast – at the weekend, add tomatoes and mushrooms to a cooked breakfast and during the week add berries or fruit to porridge, yoghurt or cereal.
- Eat some veggies raw – eating some vegetables that are raw or just lightly steamed will help you to get extra nutrients. They make ideal snacks – think carrot sticks with hummous, celery pieces with peanut butter, guacamole etc.
- Smoothies/Juices – if you are short on time, or have a picky eater – then the occasional homemade smoothie/juice is a great way of mixing fruits and vegetables into an inviting mix that you might not otherwise get through meals alone – think beetroot, kale, apple, carrot…Try to get an appliance that will leave you with the fibre intact as part of the drink, rather than just the juice – which just intensifies the sugar content (especially from the fruits).
- Batch cooking – think about making a big batch of soup, casseroles or stews that can include plenty of vegetables that the whole family can dip into over a few days.
Come back next week for part two, where we explore each food colour group and all of the health properties there are to be gained by eating the rainbow.
Ref: Lifespan, health magazine
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