‘Eat the rainbow’
I’M sure many of you must already be familiar with the expression ‘eat the rainbow’, but have you ever wondered where this recommendation comes from.
The expression means that you should eat fruits, vegetables and crops of different types and colours on a regular basis — preferably daily.
The reason for this is that the beautiful colours of your food generally come from a particular class of nutrients called antioxidants which are a precious ally for your health.
Antioxidants are so powerful that they can fight the action of some harmful compounds — free radicals — which cause premature cell ageing.
Free radicals can accumulate in your body for different reasons (for example when you eat unhealthy foods or drink alcohol, when you smoke or are too stressed).
And their accumulation can eventually lead to different types of disease, including several NCDs.
Eating antioxidant-rich foods helps fight the accumulation of free radicals, thus preventing premature cell ageing and, eventually, disease.
The main colours you should include in your daily diet are the following.
Purple
Examples of purple foods: purple kumala, yam or dalo, all types of berries (including the black, blue and red ones), purple onion, cabbage or grapes, eggplant (with the skin), coral lettuce or purple shamrock.
Their benefits: blue/purple/ black produce contain a type of antioxidant (anthrocyanins) which can help prevent heart disease, some types of cancer and inflammation, and improve vision and memory;
Green
These are cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens. Examples of cruciferous vegetables are broccoli, Chinese cabbage, choy sum, bok choy, cauliflower, all types of cabbage, mustard greens, daikon.
Their benefits: cruciferous vegetables should be eaten daily as they play a key role in the prevention of heart disease, stroke, certain types of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Examples of leafy green vegetables: all green leaves, such as rourou, tubua, watercress, bele, all types of herbs etc.
Their benefits: leafy greens are very good source of vitamins (like vitamin A, K, C, E and folate) and minerals such as iron, potassium and calcium.
Orange
Examples of orange fruits and vegetables: pumpkin, mango, papaya, carrots, orange kumala, dalo or capsicum.
Their benefits: the bright colour of orange produce comes from a class of antioxidants called carotenoids, from which your body can produce vitamin A.
Vitamin A deficiency is quite common in the Pacific - especially among children - and can lead to a number or health issues such as poor vision (or even permanent blindness), weak immunity or skin disorders.
Red or pink
Examples of red fruits and vegetables: tomatoes, pink guava or papaya, watermelon, red capsicum or chilies.
Their benefits: red and pink produce contain lycopene, and antioxidant thought to help prevent heart disease and certain types of cancer (in particular breast and prostate cancer), while also contributing to the reduction of LDL cholesterol (= "bad" cholesterol). Red produce is usually also a very good source of vitamin C.
White
These are usually from the allium genus. Examples of white vegetables: onion, garlic, spring onion, chives, leek, shallot.
Their benefits: the regular consumption of vegetables from the Allium family can improve the level of blood glucose and cholesterol, and help prevent certain types of cancer.
Would you like to know more about antioxidants and their health benefits? Check this interesting booklet published by SPC on this topic > https://www.spc.int/ resource-centre/publications/aplateful-of-colours-to-stayhealthy-eat-your-colours