How and Why to Get Every Color in Your Diet

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Sure, you know fruits and veggies are good for you and that eating them keeps you healthy. But adding some leafy greens to your meals is not enough. The body needs every color of the rainbow, because plants get their color from the antioxidants and phytonutrients they contain. Eating a variety of foods from every color of the rainbow (not just green!) ensures you get the entire range of antioxidants that your body needs. The vast array of colors represent more than 25,000 phytonutrients that work as a messaging system: each bite you take is literally telling your body what to do, whether its to detoxify, kill a cancer cell, or reduce inflammation. Our ancestors traditionally ate more than 800 varieties of plants. Now that most of us are on a spinach-broccoli-avocado repeat grocery list, we're missing a lot of those messages. Read on for foods to look for in each color category and what each color does for the body. Your grocery haul and salad Instagram post has never looked so pretty!

Red:

• Foods: apples, raspberries, red onion, red chard, cranberries, radishes, cherries, strawberries, watermelon, red bell peppers, tomatoes, radicchio

• Benefits: Immune-boosting, high in overall antioxidants, and helps reduce inflammation

Orange:

• Foods: oranges, apricots, mango, nectarines, papaya, orange bell peppers, sweet potato, yams, turmeric root, peaches, cantaloupe, carrots

• Benefits: Fertility support, antioxidants for fat-soluble tissues, and assistance with hormone health (by helping to transport hormones through the body)

Yellow:

• Foods: lemons, bananas, spaghetti squash, yellow onions, yellow bell peppers, acorn squash, asian pears, pineapple, potatoes

• Benefits: Extra beneficial for supporting the gut microbiome

Green:

• Foods: Brussels sprouts, avocado, leafy greens, herbs, green apples, limes, green olives, pears, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, edamame, green beans, okra, green grapes

• Benefits: supports healthy circulation, and especially helpful with detoxification

Blue/Purple:

• Foods: blueberries, blackberries, figs, dates, purple grapes, eggplant, plums, purple carrots, purple cauliflower, purple kale, purple cabbage, blue corn

• Benefits: healthy mood balance and overall brain health boost

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