Here’s why eating a colorful diet is important for your overall health

08/02/2022 / By Zoey Sky

If you’re struggling to follow a balanced diet, you can try “eating the rainbow.” This means you need to make sure your meals contain a wide variety of nutritious and colorful fruits and veggies.

Every color provides specific protection for plants. According to studies, humans receive similar benefits from eating colorful vegetables and fruit.

Red fruits and vegetables

Red vegetables and fruits contain a variety of phytochemicals such as lycopene. Data shows that superfoods rich in lycopene can help protect against heart disease and some cancers, like prostate cancer.

Foods rich in lycopene include guava, papaya, pink grapefruit, watermelon and tomatoes. Tomato-based products like spaghetti sauce, tomato juice, tomato paste and tomato soup also contain lycopene.

When cooking tomato-based products, use a small amount of fat like olive oil to help your body absorb lycopene.

Here are some nutritious red fruits and vegetables to add to your regular diet:

Beets
Cherries
Chili peppers
Radishes
Raspberries
Red Apples
Red cabbage
Red grapes
Red onion
Red peppers
Red potatoes
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Watermelon

Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables

Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables contain powerful antioxidants like vitamin C, along with bioflavonoids, carotenoids and phytochemicals.

Deep orange fruits and veggies contain beta-carotene, a disease-fighting antioxidant. According to research, beta-carotene may have a role in reducing cancer and heart disease risk.

Beta-carotene can also help boost your immune system, promote good eyesight and slow the aging process.

Add these tasty and healthy orange and yellow fruits and vegetables to your regular diet:

Apricots
Butternut squash
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Corn
Grapefruit
Lemons
Mangoes
Nectarines
Oranges
Papaya
Peaches
Pineapples
Pumpkin
Yellow apples
Yellow peppers
Yellow raisins

Green fruits and vegetables

Green vegetables are full of powerful phytochemicals like lutein and indoles. Leafy green veggies are full of chlorophyll, an energizing and alkalizing compound.

Eat lots of green fruits and vegetables such as:

Artichokes
Asian greens
Asparagus
Avocados
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Celery
Cucumbers
Green apples
Green beans
Green cabbage
Green grapes
Kiwi
Leeks
Limes
Okra
Pears
Peas
Spinach
Zucchini

Lutein is a potent antioxidant and data says it can help protect your eyes and maintain good vision.

These nutritious green fruits and vegetables are rich in lutein:

Broccoli
Collards
Green peas
Honeydew melon
Kale
Kiwi fruit
Romaine lettuce and other leafy green vegetables
Spinach

According to research, indoles can help fight against some cancers like breast and prostate cancer.

These superfoods are rich in indoles:

Arugula
Bok choy
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Kale
Rutabaga
Swiss chard
Turnips
Watercress

Blue and purple fruits and veggies

Blue and purple fruits and veggies contain anthocyanins and vitamins and minerals like fiber, manganese, potassium and vitamins B6, C and K1.

Blue and purple fruits and veggies are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. They can help boost your heart health and lower your risk of neurological disorders.

Additionally, blue and purple superfoods can help boost brain function and lower your risk of Type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.

Here are some blue and purple superfoods to add to your diet:

Blueberries
Blackberries
Concord grapes
Eggplant
Elderberries
Red/purple cabbage
Plums

Dark red fruits and veggies

Dark red fruits and veggies contain phytonutrients like betalains and vitamins and minerals such as fiber, folate, magnesium, manganese, potassium and vitamin B6.

Dark red fruits and veggies are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and they can help lower your risk of high blood pressure. These superfoods can also help boost your heart health, lower your risk of certain cancers and support athletic performance through increased oxygen uptake.

Eat dark red fruits and veggies like beets and prickly pears.

White and brown fruits and veggies

White and brown fruits and veggies aren’t as eye-catching as the other superfoods in these lists, but they contain phytonutrients like anthoxanthins (such as flavonols and flavones) and allicin.

They also contain vitamins and minerals like fiber, folate, magnesium, manganese, potassium and vitamins B6 and K1.

Veggies like garlic and mushroom are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. They can also help reduce your risk of colon and other cancers and boost your heart health.

Eat more of these brown and white fruits and veggies: