If you were to ask me how to eat for health, one of the most important things I could share is the benefit of eating a diet rich in color.
Why?  Well, to put it in a nutshell, color is Mother Nature’s way of labeling her best and brightest!   We don’t have to bother with reading any external ingredient labels when the rich color of the food speaks volumes in and of itself!
Did you know that each and every unique pigment found in Mother Nature’s colorful bounty has a special significance?  There’s specific reasons behind why broccoli ? and spinach are green, whereas tomatoes ? and peppers ? are shades of red, and carrots ? are orange!
What do the colors mean?  The pigments are called phytonutrients.  Phyto is the Greek word for plants and when plants give us specific nutrients, these are often identified with the brilliant, vivid shades of the rainbow.
When we see shades of redorange, and yellow, we can be certain those foods are rich in two potent botanical ingredients:  carotene and lycopene, two medicinal biochemical compounds that reduce inflammation, serve as antioxidants, and are good for your immune system and eyesight!
Similarly, the green pigments found in so many vegetables like spinach, cucumber, peas, and broccoli signify the presence of chlorophyll and lutein, compounds extremely beneficial for oxygenation, vision, and that help reduce inflammation, boost our immune systems.
Additionally, many green vegetables also contain sulforaphane, an anti-cancer agent.
I could go on and on, listing each color and pigment, describing the matrix of complex relationships between each shade and nature’s variety of medicinal compounds, but instead, I’ll share this wonderful reference with you:  I love this “Eat More Color” infographic from the American Heart Association.  Using this, I made up this Rainbow Salad recipe!  I encourage you to try it, or perhaps you and your family can design your own festive and beautiful salad.  Choose one or two from each color, changing your selections based on seasons!
What better way to exemplify food being the best medicine, than getting these medicines, nutrients, and healing botanicals from Mother Nature’s cornucopia!
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