Eat from the Rainbow
As Nutrition Month comes to a close, we offer another way to reach this month's theme: "Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right." Today's post is all about getting the nutrients and fiber you need by eating from the rainbow...Make colorful fruits and veggies a part of each meal! You’ll get more nutrients, feel fuller for a longer period of time, and give your body the things it needs to stay healthy!MyPlate asserts that people should fill half their plates with fruits and vegetables at each meal. That’s a tall order, but if you start adding a salad to each meal and snack on fruits and vegetables instead of chips and crackers, you will be well on your way to a healthful diet!Variety is key too. It would be rather boring to only eat broccoli at every meal, every day. Mix things up by choosing a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. MyPlate makes things easier by dividing vegetables into distinct subgroups. Have at least one vegetable from each group every day and you’ll have begun crafting a varied diet!
- Dark green
- Red and orange
- Starchy
- Beans and peas
- Other
If keeping those categories in your head feels like too much work, try eating by color instead. Make your plate as colorful as you can, with lots of different fruits and vegetables at each meal.Need some inspiration? Check out this handy-dandy list!
There are tons of fabulous red fruits and vegetables out there. Load up on kidney beans, red bell peppers, tomatoes, red plums, watermelon, strawberries, and more!
Of course, you can’t go wrong with orange and yellow! What could be better than butternut squash, pineapple, chickpeas, and of course, oranges?
White vegetables have tons of nutrients too! Some people don't think that white veggies have nutrients, but they totally do! Stock up on jicama, potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, etc.
Going green is easy with a ton of healthful green fruits and vegetables. Try spinach, kale, chard, zucchini, broccoli, snap peas, kiwi, and honeydew melon.
Don’t forget about blue and purple vegetables! Purple potatoes are amazing, as are blueberries, and even eggplant. Be creative and give a new fruit or vegetable a try!Eating lots of different fruits and vegetables is great for your health. MyPlate asserts “Eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke [... and] may protect against certain types of cancers.”Plus, fruits and vegetables are loaded with fiber, which, according to MyPlate, “may reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.”This post is brought to you by the Nutrition Education Store. Check out some of the most popular products, listed below...
