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EAT THE RAINBOW
Choose a variety of fruits and veggies for optimum health

Here at the Central City Co-op we’re concerned with the impact our food choices make on the earth and also on our bodies. As the new school year starts and we all get back into the rhythm of schedules and, in many cases, over-scheduling let’s take a moment to talk about eating well.

You’ve probably heard that eating foods that represent the colors of the rainbow is good for you. Why is ‘eating by the rainbow’ so important to your health and well-being? Think of each colored veggie or fruit as having a unique property that’s beneficial to your health. Each day try to eat all the colors to create a well balanced diet that provides you each property that adds up to a healthy body and mind.

The rainbow:

Red foods contain lycopene that helps rid the body of damaging free radicals, protects against prostate cancer, as well as heart and lung disease. The red foods are loaded with antioxidants thought to protect against heart disease by preventing blood clots and may also delay the aging of cells in the body.

Orange and Yellow foods contain alpha-carotene, which protects against cancer, but also contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A protecting the skin against free-radical damage. Beta-carotene is also good for night vision.

Green foods contain the chemicals that help ward off cancer by inhibiting carcinogens. Chlorophyll is the component that makes plant green, and is purifying in the body. Many green foods also contain potassium, calcium and minerals.

Blue, Indigo and Violet foods contain the compound anthocyanins that not only give food their color but also have been shown to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and increasing heart health.

White (though not a color of the rainbow) foods contain properties that have anti-tumor qualities, such as allicin in onions as well as other health-improving antioxidants such as the flavanoids. The white foods, bananas and potatoes, contain potassium as well.

GETTING STARTED

So how do you do incorporate these fruits and vegetables of all the colors of the rainbow into your daily eating habits? Here are some ideas:

Breakfast

- An orange. Sauté 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 onion, 2 shitake mushrooms, 2 cloves garlic. Add 3 cups leafy greens (spinach leaves are fine) and 3 eggs. Cook until eggs are done and serve.

- Strawberries. Oatmeal made with cubed butternut squash or pureed pumpkin, topped with raw walnut pieces and raw pumpkin seeds.

Lunch

- Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with sprouts, lettuce, tomato slices, avocado and grated carrots. Serve with a 2-cup salad made with romaine lettuce and raw cauliflower, broccoli and garbanzo beans.

- Spinach salad topped with black olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, and cauliflower. Add beans or chicken if you like. Toss with fresh lemon juice and either olive oil or flax oil or a combination of the two. Sprinkle fresh parsley, chopped, on top.

Dinner

- Grilled fish or chicken breast or black beans and brown rice (protein). Coleslaw made with green and red cabbage with red onions and grated carrots. Baked yam.

- Pasta primavera made with spinach fettuccini, sautéed red peppers, onions, garlic, zucchini, carrots, and whatever else is in season.