AT the end of every rainbow is a pot of gold, and it is indeed a pot of gold—precious health—you will gain when you follow the ‘Rainbow Diet.’
What exactly is the Rainbow Diet?
Well, it is a diet based on the colors of fruits, vegetables and other plant-based food items. According to doctors and nutritionists, the colorful your plate is (actually the contents of your plate), the better it is for your health, as the health content of fruits and vegetables is reflected on their color. This is due to the phytochemicals in plants, which are naturally occurring compounds that provide their color, odor and flavor.
THE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW
According to Ma. Paz L. Sales, a Registered Nutritionist-Dietitian…
… Fruits that are blue and purple carry anthocyanin, which help keep the heart healthy and maintain blood pressure at a normal level.
… Red-colored fruits and vegetables are rich in cancer-fighting lycopene.
… Yellow and orange fruits and vegetables are abundant in Vitamin C and beta-cryptoxanthin, which is converted to Vitamin A when ingested by the body.
… Greens carry Vitamin K, folic acid, potassium, carotenoids and modest amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids.
The key is to combine rainbow colors into your diet.
THE POWER OF PURPLE
The problem with some colors, though, is that they are not always found in local fruits and vegetables. Blue and purple hues, for example, do not occur much in local fruits and vegetables. It is therefore important to source them from imported fruits and vegetables because the anthocyanin and polyphenols in blues and purples effectively lessen the risk of lifestyle diseases, such as cancer and heart disease.
A good source of blues and purples happens to be grapes—or grape juice. You can eat grapes or drink grape juice like Welch’s 100% grape juice. Doing the latter actually provides more polyphenols than eating grapes because: 1) Welch’s 100% grape juice is made from Concord grapes, whose thick, dark purple skin and crunchy seeds carry a good dose of healthy polyphenols; and 2) making pure grape juice involves crushing the whole fruit, including the seeds and skin, thus releasing more of these nutrients into the juice.
Welch’s 100% grape juice is available in retail outlets nationwide.