Taste the Rainbow (of Health)

Ready to add more color to your plate?

What's your favorite color... to eat?

While my close friends and I often joke that my “uniform” outside of workout clothing mostly consists of black and white, when it comes to my food, I'm all about color!

For someone who was a bonafide picky and super plain eater for the first half of her life (right, Mom?), these days I’m always trying to sneak in an extra colorful veggie or three into just about any meal.

This vibrant and delicious journey from Plain Jane to Colorful Katie has led me to discover all sorts of fruits and veggies I never knew existed. I couldn’t have imagined I’d be able to fit pops of purple (my actual favorite color) and pinkish beauty creatively into mealtime. But from the looks of this week’s photo, you might be able to tell, I’m slightly obsessed ;)

Turns out, this love affair with color isn't just about making my meals look pretty. There are some serious health benefits to eating the rainbow! The reason all that color is so good for you? It comes from phytonutrients, compounds that give plants their vibrant hues, tasty flavors, and also protect us from chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Here's a little rundown on what each color group brings to the table:

• Red: Packed with lycopene, which is great for heart health and may help protect against certain cancers. Think: Tomatoes, Strawberries, Beets

• Orange and Yellow: Rich in carotenoids, which support your immune system, vision, and skin health. Think: Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Squash

• Green: These are loaded with compounds that may help prevent cancer and are typically high in vitamin K, fiber, and antioxidants. Think: Spinach, Broccoli

• Blue and Purple: These contain anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that may help delay cellular aging and are good for your heart and memory. Think: Blueberries, Purple Cabbage

• White and Brown: These contain compounds that have anti-tumor properties and can help with things like cholesterol and bone strength. Think: Onions, Mushrooms

(Sources: Harvard Health Publishing, Mayo Clinic News Network)

The Takeaway: Eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables is a delicious way to get a wide range of vitamins and minerals for your health. So fill up half your plate with fruits and veggies, which works out to about 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit each day to hit the American Heart Association's daily recommendations!

To add even more color to your life, come join our private Facebook group and participate in the A-MAY-zing Moves Bingo challenge! This week, we're sharing recipes and showing off our colorful meals to help inspire one another and check off those BINGO squares! Let's paint our lives (and our plates) with all the colors of health!