A Colourful Diet?
With the growing interest in food and nutrition, I had cause to visit my local book store recently. Wow – a bright and vibrant range of book covers tempted themselves to me to purchase. The One with the red spine stood out – the title? The Color Code. Is this observation of colour something that perhaps has a deeper meaning – perhaps on the subliminal level? What do the sellers of these books know that I do not? Disconcerting thoughts indeed. But all is not as sinister as it first may appear.
Colour – we know about the benefits of colour therapy, through coloured bottles containing just plain water and their purported healing effects, together with those of colour lights and even coloured clothing. Fact is that colour plays a major role in our lives whether we realize it or not. Then does it not make sense that this also applies to the food that we eat?
Walking the markets and shopping isles, it is the colours of the foods that attract you. One would say that the colours that stand out most to you are the ones that you should be consuming. Others will question this and say this it is just good marketing. Regardless, there is increasing evidence that you need colour in your diet as well as your every day living.
Scientists continue with their research on what we eat. As mentioned in previous articles, they have even identified Vitamin P – but what else have they found. Answer: Phytochemicals or plant chemicals. Hundreds and hundreds of them and they are only just beginning to understand what they all do.
Some have been know for a long time and already have documented proof of their benefits to nutrition, although Scientists are yet to state that they have a full nutritional function as with vitamins, proteins etc., but the scientific community is starting to sway. What is not in question is the fact that fruits and vegetables are as their most vibrant when they are mature, also containing the most antioxidants to be available. Does it not make sense then that inclusion of bright vibrant colours in your diet will be healthy for you?
With the colours then apparently playing such an important role which ones should I choose?
To start with, by adding or including a large amount of colour in your diet, you will be eating more and more fruits and vegetables, and with the skin on. The reason being that a lot of the colouring agents are in the skins of fruits and vegetables. Take an apple as an example – bright vibrant red ‘Washington’ apples suddenly loose their appeal and are pasty white when peeled. Blueberries while perhaps not widely available in Thailand, are available in some markets, but remove their skins and you get a ‘greenberry’. People have been talking for years about the colour of strawberries and it always seems that the brightest, most vibrant red ones always taste the best. Even the humble potato is more attractive with its rich skin tones than the insipid white it becomes when peeled, and nutritionists have for years been telling us that brown rice is healthier than white rice. Nutrition experts have told us for many years that most of the nutritive substances in our food is ‘just under the skin’ so does it not make sense to leave the skins on?
So this ‘splash of colour’ must mean something – right?
If you eat 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, you can easily have your full compliment of colour. But 10 servings is a lot of fruits and vegetables – or is it really? 1 serve is equivalent to: 1 slice of melon, one apple, orange or banana, 1 cup of berries, ¼ cup of dried fruits, 1 cup of salad leaves or spinach or ½ cup of chopped carrots, beetroot, tomatoes or celery. Even a small glass of orange juice constitutes one serving. So it is not as difficult as it first might seem.
So which ones are best?
RED: Choose bright vibrant Red (preferably organically grown) tomatoes - not those pasty half yellow ones. Red bell peppers and strawberries are other great reds also.
ORANGE/YELLOW: Oranges, mangoes and carrots top the lists here, and as they are routinely included in the Thai diet, this colour should not be a problem.
GREEN: Kale, spinach, broccoli and avocado are the best of the greens.
BLUE/PURPLE: Red grapes, red cabbage and purple eggplants are what are required here.
The best diet is one that incorporates a selection from each colour group each day. If you do not make it to 10 servings of colour, do not get frustrated, as tomorrow is another day. A definite side effect of including all this colour in your diet is the increase in fiber and water in your diet and the reduction of fats, salts and sugars, so add some colour today.