FOOD for THOUGHT: Find the Rainbow Connections

(Dietary changes should be discussed with a health care provider.)

Last week we started on the road to healthy eating by reading and becoming familiar with the ingredients in our food.  When we got to the produce section, we got a nice long break, but fruits and vegetables have their own version of an ingredient list in the form of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, nutrients, micronutrients and phytonutrients – along with some sugar and fat (that’s right, even veggies have some, but they are definitely in moderate amounts).

Don’t worry, there’s no need to memorize nutrient names or memorize which produce contains which ones in order to get enough and to benefit from them.  There is an easy way to spot them!

By now almost everyone is familiar with the practice of “eating a rainbow” – different nutrients present as different colors; so, by eating as many different colored vegetables and fruits as we can, we get a larger variety of nutrients.

FYI: For the curious there is a tiny sample by name in this chart.

COLOR                          PHYTONUTRIENT        FOOD EXAMPLE

Red to Pink                     Lycopene                       Tomato to Guava

Pink to Orange                Beta-cryptoxanthin         Apricot to Citrus

Orange                           Alpha-carotene              Carrot

Orange to Yellow             Beta-carotene                Sweet Potato to Winter Squash

Green                             Lutein                          Leafy Greens

                                                                           (Spinach, Kale, Collards, etc.)

Blue to Purple to Red       Ellagic Acid                   Berries to Plums to Grapes

                                                                            to more Berries

CHALLENGE #2 of 50:

If you are not already eating a rainbow, try doing so – especially expand and increase your whole, fresh vegetable intake -- see how many times you can eat every color.  (This may entail trying some new vegetables; you can find some ideas below). 

If you have kids, bring them shopping.  They love a scavenger hunt; so, ask them to find you a fruit or vegetable of every color – your comfort biases will not hinder their selection as much.  (Mark the first day of a local farmers’ market on your calendar for this task.  Westford’s is Tuesday 19 June 2012.)

If you are already eating the full rainbow of fruits & vegetables, try this challenge to fill your week: Expand the concept to eat a metaphorical rainbow.  In other words, try a little bit of everything in all of your food groups.  The name of the game is variety, variety, variety.  Rather than eating different versions of the same 7 dinners week after week – mix it up.  If your grain is usually rice, potatoes or pasta, try barley, millet or quinoa.  If your protein is usually meat, try alternating with fish, high-protein grains and beans – beans come in their own sort of rainbow: red kidney; pink Roman; small white and black – to name just a few.  If, for whatever reason, you drink soymilk instead of dairy (or even if you drink dairy), try substituting rice milk and almond milk on and off (but watch that you don’t choose ones with added sweeteners).

The more variety you have in your diet, the more likely you are to get some of everything you need, and the less likely you are to build up too much of one thing.  Follow these rainbow suggestions through to the end and I hope you find a pot of good health.

FUN TASK: Everyone loves a silly survey.  Take this one and see what your future may hold.  Give yourself 1 point for each veggie or fungus that you eat regularly (at least when it’s in season).  Give yourself a bonus point for each category in which you surpass 3 points, but lose 1 point for every uneaten category.

CATEGORY 1: Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Lettuce (not counting iceberg), Peppers (sweet or hot), Peas, String Beans, Tomatoes, Winter Squash (any that are orange inside)

CATEGORY 2: Artichokes, Asparagus, Broccoli Rabe, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage (including bok choy), Edamame, Eggplant, Fiddle Heads (please don’t bite the ends off violins), Okra (or bite talk show hosts), Romanesco (or chew on classical architecture), Snow Peas, Sprouts, Zucchini (or other summer squash including spaghetti squash)

CATEGORY 3: Beets, Jicama (…gezundtite), Parsnips, Purple Potatoes (not just the skins, but purple most of the way through), Radishes, Sweet Potatoes, Turnips, Yams

CATEGORY 4: Amaranth Greens, Beet Greens, Carrot Greens, Chicories (endive, escarole, radicchio, etc.), Dandelion Greens, Fresh Herbs, Lamb’s Quarters (not an animal product), Mustard Greens, Watercress

CATEGORY 5: Chard (Swiss or rainbow), Collard Greens, Kale, Seaweed, Spinach

CATEGORY 6: Chanterelles, Creminis, Morels, Oyster Mushrooms, Porcinis, Portabellas, Shitakes, White Mushrooms (buttons)

CATEGORY 7: Chives, Fennel, Leeks, Onions, Scallions, Shallots

RESULTS:

0 or Fewer - Hope your will is up to date.

1-10 – Hope you have great health insurance.

11-20 – Sadly, the average American probably didn’t do as well as this.

21-30 – Great foundation, challenge yourself to expand a bit & to try something new.

31-40 – With such a healthy variety here, go ahead and concentrate on healthfulness in other food groups.

41-70 – You are a force with which to be reckoned!

QUOTE of the WEEK:

It’s bizarre that the produce manager is more important to

my children's health than the pediatrician.

Meryl Streep