Why We Need to Eat the Rainbow
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We all know how important fruits and vegetables are to staving off chronic disease, maintaining a healthy weight, and feeling all-around great.
In this post, I want to review the reasons you already know as to why you should be eating more produce, how to look at produce (i.e. a rainbow), and a couple of ways to increase your intake effortlessly!
I want to get into the best way to approach your produce consumption, but first let’s go through three main reasons many cite for why they want to eat more of it and some housekeeping items.
1. Prevent chronic disease.
If you have any health risks, whether for heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, or cancer, you cannot go wrong with eating more fruits and vegetables. And if you find yourself in the unfortunate situation where you are fighting some health issues, they are potentially even more important. Food really is medicine. I can say that from personal experience, and there are countless studies and stories that say the same thing. Any legitimate diet is anchored in produce consumption.
2. Weight loss.
They are your best friend during a weight loss journey: you get a big nutritional bang for little calories. The great thing is that if you set the goal of eating more produce and focus on that, you have less mindshare to think about what you should not be eating. Also, you fill up more on quality food that keeps your system humming, so you will have less room to polish off a box of cookies.
3. Feeling awesome.
If you have ever gone a week eating pretty well, I don’t think I need explain this one. Also, they improve your skin and your sleep and your energy levels.
Now that we have covered the why, there is an obvious question…
How many servings do I need per day?
The CDC recommends 5 servings per day, but come on, we can do better than that. The goal I would suggest is seven servings plus per day. Remember, you can always overshoot that, and it is easier to do that than you think.
A serving is considered:
· 1 cup chopped raw fruit or vegetables
· 2 cups raw greens
· 1 cup cooked greens
· Medium piece of fruit (such as an apple or peach. Or a veggie like a sweet potato).
In general, I tend to eyeball a serving as roughly the size of a baseball.
How do I get all these servings?
Now that we have reviewed the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables, let’s discuss the best approach in doing so. True, you cannot go wrong with this task. But the best boost for your body is to eat as many colors as possible. When you do, you are getting a wide variety of nutrients.
The book that revamped the way I looked at produce and inspired this post was What Color Is Your Diet? If you focus on what your body NEEDS, you’re less likely to think you shouldn’t be eating cookies. It also includes easy recipes with labels as to which colors you are getting to make transitioning into this way of eating second nature!
Now let’s first take a step back and discuss the common question regarding vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins and minerals: what’s the difference, and why does that matter?
This is a common question. There is a difference, but the only reason it matters to you revolves around storage and cooking.
Vitamins are organic and sensitive to light, heat, and acid. In other words, they can be diminished if stored and/or cooked in certain ways (more on this in a future blog post). There are 13 vitamins you need from food sources since the body does not produce enough of them: A, C, D, E, K, and a bunch of B’s.
Minerals are inorganic and not sensitive to those things. Essential minerals are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium (no problems there), magnesium, iron, zinc, and selenium, among others. These help strengthen your teeth and bones, transport oxygen via nifty red blood cells, prevent muscle cramps, and fight off infection.
Why do fruits and vegetables have different colors?
Each piece of produce gets its color from the predominant phytochemicals in it. The darker the color, the higher the nutrient content. These are the little warriors that protect your heart, your liver, your skin, your everything, and reduce inflammation. While each individual fruit and vegetable has a unique array of nutrients, they can be aggregated by the color according to the primary phytochemicals:
1. BLUE/PURPLE.
Benefits: vitamin C and anthocyanins.
Vitamin C is a powerhouse for your immune system (if you’ve ever had a cold, this is not new information). A fun fact is that we do not know what is in the nucleus of vitamin C. Any supplement you take is, as a result, synthetic. This vitamin is prime proof as to why sourcing vitamins from food rather than supplements is far more effective.
Anthocyanins are antioxidants – they fight free radicals (which, FYI, contribute to skin and entire body aging). These bad boys have anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.
Examples: eggplant, berries, beets, cherries, red cabbage, red onions.
2. RED.
Benefit: lycopene and vitamin C.
Lycopene is a potent anti-cancer agent. It is actually stronger in cooked tomato products than in raw tomatoes.
Examples: tomatoes (this includes delicious marinara), watermelon, pink grapefruit.
3. ORANGE/YELLOW.
Benefits: beta-carotene and vitamin C (yes, vitamin C is everywhere).
Beta-carotene aids your body in producing vitamin A, which helps prevent wrinkles and boosts eyesight.
Examples: sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, winter squash, cantaloupe, mangoes, oranges, lemons, tangerines, peaches, yellow and orange peppers.
4. GREEN.
Benefits: chlorophyll, vitamin K, and folic acid.
Here’s the category I am guessing comes to the top of your mind.
Chlorophyll: absorb toxins in the body (including the liver). It has antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties (anyone noticing a theme yet?).
Vitamin K: a beauty vitamin, it fights skin aging and dark undereye circles. Also works with calcium and vitamin D to strengthen your bones and prevent osteoporosis.
Folic acid: helps produce red blood cells and fights cancer.
Examples: Broccoli, kale, chard, brussels sprouts, spinach, avocado, artichokes, green beans, cucumbers.
5. WHITE:
Benefits: allicin, quercetin, potassium.
Let’s get this out of the way - white fruits and vegetables aren’t bad. They are a valid part of the rainbow. Specifically, I want to call out potatoes and bananas.
Both are excellent sources of resistant starch and potassium (which counteracts excess sodium). The skin of a baked potato especially is loaded with nutrients (not to mention that as a whole it is essentially a vehicle for other vegetables). Secondly, potatoes are “bad” when you fry them, much like anything else, and for those being honest, no one ever gained weight from eating too many bananas. Please don’t hesitate to incorporate these two into your produce lineup.
Also, I must mention that cauliflower is in this group. You cannot walk into a grocery store these days without finding at least five pasta/pizza/tots/bread substitutes made from cauliflower (which happens to be loaded with vitamin C).
So there you have it, white produce is an unsung hero in the rainbow.
Examples: onions, garlic, leeks, celery, cabbage, parsnips (I promise these are good), mushrooms (selenium powerhouse), cauliflower, bananas.
You can see that the healthiest diet includes a variety of these colors for the biggest nutritional punch. And now that you have a roadmap as to how to approach produce consumption, there are many ways to easily do it. I can recommend two failproof methods to up your servings:
Smoothies.
This is kind of an obvious one, but what if you are lazy or particular? If you aren’t careful, you run the risk of making something that tastes like lawn in a bowl. That is why I love Evive smoothies. They send you iced cubes of pre-mixed smoothies that you just put into water or milk and shake.
That’s right; you don’t even need a blender!
Balance of Nature.
This is a daily regimen of 6 capsules filled with freeze-dried fruits and vegetables that have been flash-frozen and ground into a powder. It is remarkable to fit your entire day’s recommended servings into 6 pills (and any additional produce you eat is an EXCELLENT bonus).
To read my review on the system, read my blog post here or click here to get 35% off your first order with discount code SARA!
If you would like a free jump start on your fruit and vegetable goals, click here for my THREE DAY LIVER RESET!
