Do you want to know the EASIEST way to change your diet and improve your health immediately? It’s simple…eat a rainbow of coloured vegetables and fruits each and every single day. Plant foods (fruits and veggies) contain many naturally occurring chemical compounds called phytonutrients that vary with the colour of the food. Each colour provides different health promoting benefits and properties. We tend to be creatures of habit, often eating the same foods, week in, week out. But eating a diverse diet and a wide variety of different coloured foods ensures the greatest intake of vitamins and minerals possible.

The main colour categories are:

• Red Choose berries, apples, capsicum, cherries, watermelon and tomatoes for lycopene to protect the heart and blood vessels, and reduce cancer risk
• Orange / yellow. Choose pumpkin, carrots, capsicum, mango, apricots, citrus or sweet potato to boost vitamin C, carotenoids and promote eye health (especially against macular degeneration)
• Green Choose spinach, kale, broccoli, cucumber, kiwi, zucchini, beans, avocado or asparagus for carotenoids, sulforaphane or folate for excellent cancer fighting properties
• Purple / blue. Choose beetroot, berries, cabbage, plums and eggplant for high anthocyanins compounds that have antioxidant and heart and memory protective properties
• Brown / white. Choose onions, mushrooms, garlic, cauliflower, ginger, parsnips, bananas or potatoes for immune boosting properties and high potassium levels

Simple ways to increase your intake of rainbow coloured vegetables and fruits every day…

• Snazz up your salad: add grated carrot, bean sprouts, berries, citrus segments or fresh herbs
• BBQs galore: gently grill oiled eggplant, capsicum slices or asparagus
• One pot wonders: bulk out casseroles or stews with tomato, herbs, mushrooms or beans
• Smooth operator: add baby spinach, cucumber, ginger or berries to your favourite smoothie
• Eggs-cellent: scrambled eggs, frittata or omelette work well with kale, mushrooms, corn or capsicum
• Stir-fry fun: a quick and easy dish made with whatever is in the fridge – carrots, capsicum, snow peas, mushrooms, Asian greens or broccolini topped with a drizzle of sesame oil
• Delicious dippers: chopped raw veggies make great dippers for your favourite hummus, avocado or bean dip

So the easiest way to protect yourself from developing disease and chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer or obesity is to include a wide spectrum of rainbow coloured vegetables and fruits each day to provide all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that you require to stay healthy.

Get great Nutritional Advice from Karen Ball