Eat The Rainbow: The Power of a Colorful Diet

Colorful meals are more than just nice to look at—they’re essential for your health! Eating a variety of colors helps keep your body strong, your mind sharp, and your energy high, with unique benefits that make eating fruits and vegetables both fun and nutritious.

The benefits of eating fruits and veggies

Nourish your body with a variety of colors—each shade brings different vitamins and minerals to help you feel your best.

• Support your immune system—foods like strawberries, bell peppers, and citrus fruits are packed with vitamin C.
• Help your heart—foods like beets, pomegranates, and berries are rich in heart-healthy antioxidants.
• Reduce inflammation—leafy greens, cherries, and tomatoes have natural compounds that help fight inflammation.
• Protect your eyes—carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash provide nutrients that support vision.
• Keep your digestion on track—foods like spinach, apples, and radishes provide fiber to help keep your gut healthy.
• Give your brain a boost—spinach, kale, and blueberries are packed with nutrients that support focus and memory.
• Fuel your energy and recovery with bright and bold colors— foods like bananas, bell peppers, and watermelon help replenish and refresh your body.

Enjoy a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day

Brighten your meals with a mix of colorful, nutritious fruits and veggies to transform your diet, making it both delicious and healthy. Mixing reds, greens, oranges, yellows, blues/indigos, and purples helps create a balanced, nourishing diet.

Challenge yourself to add a new color or new fruit or veggie to your plate every day and see how much brighter and healthier your meals can be! Use the list below for fresh ideas.

Red fruits and veggies:

• Apples
• Tomatoes
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Raspberries
• Radishes
• Beets
• Guava
• Watermelon
• Rhubarb
• Red bell peppers
• Grapefruit
• Radicchio
• Cranberries
• Pomegranates

Orange fruits and veggies:

• Carrots
• Oranges
• Peaches
• Sweet potatoes
• Mangoes
• Cantaloupes
• Papayas
• Butternut squash
• Apricots
• Clementines
• Pumpkins
• Kumquats

Yellow fruits and veggies:

• Yellow bell peppers
• Starfruit
• Bamboo shoots
• Corn
• Bananas
• Lemons
• Pineapple
• Pears
• Summer squash
• Golden wax beans
• Spaghetti squash

Green fruits and veggies:

• Cucumbers
• Peas
• Edamame
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Kale
• Celery
• Kiwi
• Asparagus
• Zucchini
• Artichokes
• Green olives
• Avocados
• Brussels sprouts

Blue and indigo fruits and veggies:

• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Eggplant
• Elderberries
• Blackcurrants
• Blue corn
• Blue potatoes
• Huckleberries

Violet fruits and veggies:

• Grapes
• Plums
• Purple carrots
• Figs
• Purple cabbages
• Passionfruit
• Ube
• Purple potatoes
• Mangosteens
• Acai berries
• Purple
  cauliflower

Don’t miss out on white and brown foods!

• Cauliflower
• Turnips
• Coconut
• Garlic
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Dates
• Jicama

This advice was brought to us by our friends at Health Advocate.  If you need help thriving in your everyday life, check out our Life Assistance program.