A Healthy Diet is a Colorful Diet

At Atlantic Chiropractic and Rehab we know optimal wellness starts with a healthy diet. Whether your goal is weight loss, a stronger immune system or the desire to feel more energetic, adding color to your food palette will help.

The pigments that give fruits and vegetables their beautiful colors also make them rich in powerful antioxidants. For example, anthocyanin is in the pigment that gives food a red, blue or purple hue, and anthocyanin has been shown to reduce the risk of stroke, macular degeneration and certain types of cancer. Beta-carotene, which is present in yellow and orange foods, also helps prevent macular degeneration and fight cancer. Green foods like kale, broccoli and spinach are packed with vitamins and essential minerals. In fact, per serving, broccoli provides more vitamin C that an orange.

It’s not necessary to “eat a rainbow” at every meal in order to have a healthy diet. Small changes can mean big results when it comes to improving your diet.

• The USDA recommends 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Instead of eating a plain green salad, celery sticks for a snack, a green apple and green beans at dinner—which are all healthy choices—select foods from different color groups on a daily basis.
• Experiment with new foods. If you or your family are stuck in a rut with fruit and vegetable choices, don’t try to make radical changes. Introduce one new type of colorful food every few weeks.

Prepare the same food in several different ways until you find a method you like. Steamed Brussels sprouts may not be your thing, but Brussels sprouts roasted in the oven could be your favorite new food.