Eat Colorfully!

Is this year’s National Nutrition Month’s slogan.  As many of us know, it is easier said than done along with several other health tips.  So how can we attempt this recommendation?   First we need to know what all of the colors are.  There are 5: red, yellow or orange, purple or blue, white, and green.   This sounds like a lot but it can be done!  Think of a salad; you have green lettuce or spinach as well as purple lettuce called radicchio, add tomatoes, onions, carrots, and yellow bell peppers.  All the colors are represented right there in one meal.  If you don’t like salads let’s think of a sandwich; grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini, grilled orange bell peppers topped with some grilled white onions and a few dried apricots.  Perhaps you want an easier sandwich to make or one with some meat; two slices of whole grain bread with some chicken, both green lettuce and radicchio, tomato slices, white onion slices, and an orange. 

Getting all of your colors doesn’t have to be in one meal either, just as long as you get them all in the course of a day.  It may take some planning, but here is an example:

                Breakfast:  oatmeal with dried cranberries (red), cinnamon and a glass of non fat milk

                Snack:  non fat yogurt or cottage cheese with some blueberries (blue/purple)

                Lunch:  brown rice or quinoa mixed with grilled chicken, broccoli (green), mushrooms (white)

                Snack:  Carrot sticks (orange) and hummus

                Dinner:  baked halibut with asparagus (green) and baked sweet potato (orange)

Don’t forget to drink plenty of water though out your day.  For more information on colors and what fruits and vegetables fit into what color categories and why it is important to get a variety of colors you can read my blog entitled, “Eat the Rainbow” or utilize the following websites:

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442462682

http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/fruits-vegetables.shtml

photo from: thekitchn.com