Helpful resources to support ‘eating the rainbow’
In my previous post I gave some suggestions on how to increase the quantity and variety of fruit and veg in your diet. One of these was to eat the rainbow, and I want to share two free resources I have created with you here to help with this…
But first, here is the gist of my previous post:
In the same way the colour, taste and smell of fruits and veggies differs, so does their nutrient make-up. By eating a wide variety (and larger quantity) you are making sure you get all the many different vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that help your body run smoothly.
One way to build your awareness of increasing more variety in your diet is to have in mind trying to eat as many colours of the rainbow with every meal. The idea is that you try to include fruit and veg from each of the following colour groups with each meal:
Red
Oranges and yellows
Green
Blues and purples
Whites and browns
So to add to the above, we all know that vitamins and minerals are important, indeed essential, for our bodies, but many are not aware of the importance of phytonutrients. For example, many phytonutrients have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, meaning they can help protect you from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress arises from free radicals, which can cause damage to your cells and your DNA. These free radicals can come from your own internal metabolism, as well as from external sources such as exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke and pesticides. So getting a wide range of different phytonutrients means you are helping your body mop up and neutralise free radicals before they cause damage. Eating the rainbow is a great way to increase the variety of phytonutrients in your diet!
So with no further ado, here are two resources I have created for you to help with eating the rainbow:
Resource 1: Food guide by colour
Of course we can all think of fruits and veggies of different colours, but sometimes we can get into a rut always eating the same things. So I made this ‘food guide by colour’ to inspire you to eat more widely, and to help you choose foods from the different colour groups when you are out (or online!) shopping. You may think of more foods to include, so I have left some space at the bottom of each category for you to add more!
Download the pdf of my food guide here
Resource 2: Weekly tick sheet
Keeping track of what we you are eating over one day is hard! And remembering what you ate yesterday is for many really, really difficult! So to help you gain a wider perspective on what you are eating, in particular, what colours you are gravitating towards, I have created this weekly tick sheet. The idea is that you print it out and have it handy to tick off whenever you are eating a particular colour fruit or veg. So for example, on Monday, you might end up with three ticks in the green box, two in the orange/yellow box and one in the brown/white box. Then at the end of the week you can look back and see overall what colours you are nailing, and what colours you might want to try to incorporate more in your diet.
Download the pdf of my weekly tick sheet here
I really hope you will find both of these resources helpful as you navigate towards better nourishment, every day!
Fabia x
