Eat the Rainbow

Catherine Lawson

How often do you think about the range of colours on your plate? Chances are you don’t until you have a vibrant, colourful plate of food in front of you that catches your eye. It’s easy to fall into neutral territory when we’re juggling hectic lifestyles, picky eaters and tightened budgets: freezer dinners in shades of beige can no doubt save the day for many of us.

From an evolutionary perspective, however, we’re designed to pay attention to the colours we eat, not so much from a nutritional perspective, but from a survival point of view. Long before nutritionists were around and we knew about vitamins and minerals, it was the colours in nature which provided essential data: they told us at a basic level what was safe and what was poisonous. It was colours that guided our food choices: green fruits signalled ‘unripe and hard to digest,’ and so we didn’t eat them until they blossomed with colour. Similarly, certain colours signalled danger, such as the inky black of the berries on deadly nightshade – one of the deadliest plants in this country.

Now, of course, we know much more about what’s safe and what isn’t, the nutrition behind the colours, and why we should include the full rainbow in our diets. It’s not just about making those plates look pretty (although moving from beige to bright makes food so much more joyful) – it’s about making sure we have as wide a range of nutrients as possible for our overall wellbeing. Every colour contains a different compound, and every compound has a different nutritional benefit which means the more colours we eat, the more diverse the range of vitamins and minerals we digest. Providing those colours come from the plant-world, and not with ‘e’ numbers attached, they do wonders for our wellbeing.
So what exactly do different colours offer? You might be surprised by just how diverse the benefits can be when you eat the rainbow. There are countless colours with a myriad of associated advantages, but the main ones fall into the following categories:

Yellow and orange
Corn, lemons, yellow peppers, pineapple, oranges, mangoes and carrots are just some of the fruits and vegetables which pack a powerful nutritional punch thanks to key compounds such as beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein & zeaxanthin. These compounds act as protective pigments for the plants, limiting damage from the sun and from environmental stress, and they do the same for us. When we include them on our plates we’re protecting our eye health, skin health, immune function and cellular repair.

Red
Strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, red peppers and pomegranates can attribute their luscious colours to compounds such as lycopene and anthocyanins – natural antioxidants which help protect against stress and inflammation. Lycopene, in particular, is linked to heart health (including benefits for blood pressure and cholesterol levels), while anthocyanins support healthy blood vessels and circulation. Together, the compounds in red fruits and vegetables are powerhouses when it comes to cardiovascular wellbeing.

Blue and Purple
Foods such as blueberries, blackberries, aubergines and beetroot get their deep colours from anthocyanins and other polyphenols such as resveratrol which are rich in antioxidants. Including plenty of blue and purple plants in our diets has been linked to improved memory, healthy aging and better blood vessel function, thanks to their neuroprotective and anti-aging properties which protect us against cellular damage as we get older.

Green
Spinach, kale, green apples, broccoli, green grapes, lettuce, peas….they all get their vibrant green colour from chlorophyll – the pigment that lets plants absorb sunshine. Most of the health benefits, however, come from a group of defensive compounds called glucosinolates which protect the plants and those of us who eat them. These compounds help our cells to eliminate unwanted toxins and safeguard us against oxidative stress and inflammation, thus supporting overall immune health.

It’s no wonder that current dietary recommendations suggest we aim for a minimum of thirty different plants each week: diversity is key if we want to experience the full range of benefits on offer in the plant world. But how do we go from beige to beautiful if colour isn’t something we’ve previously prioritised? The answer is one step (or one meal) at a time. Start by adding mixed berries to your breakfast bowls or making a multi-coloured fruit salad to snack on through the day. Think about adding red, yellow and green peppers to your chillis, fajitas and frittatas, instead of always choosing just one. Challenge yourself to see how many colours you can toss through your side salad, adding bright orange grated carrots, deep pink pickled red onions and sunshine yellow corn kernels. Far from being just a pretty face, Mother Nature has given us vibrancy in abundance for a reason. The options, and the wellbeing benefits, are endless when it comes to eating the rainbow.