Ensuring a variety of colors in your diet can benefit your health in many different ways.
Eat more colorful meals It is not only aesthetically beautiful, but also important for health, as it offers a variety of nutrients, vitamins, among others. The World Health Organization recommends eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, which can prevent chronic diseases and improve overall health.
However, according to 2023 Covitel data, less than half of the Brazilian population (45.5%) consumes vegetables five or more times a week. Consumption remains low in the country, despite increasing over the past year after a significant decline during the pandemic (15.2% increase between 2022 and 2023). The age group that eats the most vegetables is the over 65s, with 45.5% eating with the recommended weekly frequency. Those who eat the least are the youngest, from 18 to 24 years old, only 39.2% consume it frequently.
For Carolina Medeiros, nutritionist and technical director of the university polyclinic of UNASP (Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo), consuming a variety of colors means obtaining a wide range of nutrients. “Nutrients found in plants play a crucial role in digestion and elimination of toxins from the body.”
How to create more colorful meals?
According to the professional, a practical way to incorporate more colors into your diet is to start with breakfast. Adding fruits like bananas, strawberries or blueberries to cereal, yogurt or pancakes can enrich the first meal of the day with a burst of nutrients and flavor. The following provides additional tips:
- Colorful lunch and dinner
For lunch and dinner, salads are a great way to combine more colors and nutrients into one meal. Try mixing different types of vegetables, such as tomatoes, zucchini and peppers, with leafy greens to create nutritious and appetizing dishes.
- Healthy snacks
For snacks, opt for dried fruit and nuts or cut up vegetables like carrots and cucumbers. These snacks are not only convenient and easy to prepare, but they also add a variety of essential vitamins and minerals to your daily diet.
- Educate children
Involving children in choosing and preparing colorful foods can help them develop healthy eating habits from an early age. Teaching children how each food color benefits the body can encourage them to make smart food choices on their own.
The nutritionist says adopting a more colorful plate is a simple and effective approach to improving diet quality and, by extension, overall health. Increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables of different colors not only helps ensure a wide range of essential nutrients, but can also be a fun and delicious culinary journey. “Consuming a variety of colors means getting a wide range of nutrients. Nutrients, present in plants, play a crucial role in digestion and elimination of toxins from the body,” he concludes.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
