Eat the Rainbow: A Color Guide for Better Everyday Nutrition

Benefits of Eating the Rainbow

Health professionals often advise you to “eat the rainbow,” which emphasizes the importance of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. You probably know that you should eat colorful fruits and vegetables, but you may wonder why it’s so important and if doing so truly benefits your health.

Eating the Rainbow

Simply put, eating the rainbow involves including fruits and vegetables of different colors in your diet every day. Plants contain different pigments, or phytonutrients, which give them their color. Different-colored plants are linked to higher levels of specific nutrients and health benefits.

While eating more vegetables and fruit is always a good idea, focusing on eating a variety of colors will increase your intake of different nutrients to benefit various areas of your health.

Red / Fruits and Veggies

Main phytonutrients: lycopene (from the vitamin A family)

• Tomatoes


• Tomato paste


• Tomato sauce


• Watermelon


• Pink guava


• Grapefruit

Orange and Yellow

Main phytonutrients: carotenoids (e.g., beta carotene, alpha carotene, beta cryptoxanthin), which belong to the vitamin A family

• Carrots


• Sweet Potatoes


• Yellow peppers


• Bananas


• Pineapple


• Tangerines


• Pumpkin


• Winter Squash


• Corn

Green

Main phytonutrients: leafy greens — chlorophyll and carotenoids; cruciferous greens (e.g., broccoli, cabbage)— insoles, isothiocyanate, glucosinolates

• Spinach


• Kale


• Broccoli


• Avocados


• Asparagus


• Green cabbage


• Brussels sprouts


• Green herbs

Blue and Purple