One simple way to make healthy eating more interesting is to “eat the rainbow”.
This means adding a variety of colourful fruit, vegetables, herbs, beans, pulses, grains and other plant-based ingredients to our meals.
The colours in fruit and vegetables usually come from natural plant pigments and protective compounds. These colours are not normally minerals themselves, but colourful foods often come packaged with useful vitamins, minerals, fibre and other nutrients.
That is why eating a wider range of colours can be a helpful reminder to add more variety to our plates.
Take strawberries, for example.
Strawberries turn red as they ripen because of natural red plant pigments called anthocyanins. They also provide vitamin C, fibre, folate, potassium and manganese. So, as well as looking bright and colourful, strawberries can form part of a varied diet that supports everyday health.
Blackberries are not truly black. They are usually a very deep purple.
Their dark colour also comes largely from anthocyanins, which become more concentrated as the fruit ripens. Blackberries bring fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese and other useful nutrients to the table.
Other colours tell their own story too.
Orange carrots contain carotenoids. Green leaves contain chlorophyll and often bring folate, vitamin K, magnesium and fibre. Red tomatoes are known for lycopene. Purple cabbage, beetroot, peppers, herbs, beans, lentils and whole grains can all add something different.
For me, this is one of the joys of soups and salads.
They make it easy to add colour, texture, flavour and nutrients without making food complicated.
A soup can start with onions, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, lentils, herbs and spices.
A salad can be built with leaves, cucumber, beetroot, beans, eggs, seeds, fruit, grains, herbs, or whatever needs using up in the fridge.
Eating the rainbow is not about being perfect.
It is about small choices, more variety, and making meals look and taste more inviting.
The more colour I add, the more interesting the food becomes — and the more likely I am to enjoy eating in a healthier, more balanced way.
