Are you Eating A Rainbow?

January 17, 2011

Have you ever read something that sparked a little light bulb moment for you and your mind keeps going back to it so you know you need to share that light bulb moment and pass it forward? I had one of those moments a couple months back when Andrea from Andrea’s Wellness Notes left this comment on one of my blog posts. Adrea wrote, “ One thing I have done to improve my diet has been to focus on eating a wider variety of fruits and veggies. I also try to eat more colorful foods and focus on “eating a rainbow” throughout the week.” Thank you for writing that Andrea, I love the idea of eating a rainbow! I carry this thought with me when I am grocery shopping, cooking and eating.

First of all the imagery this conjures up in my mind is the beauty and awe of a rainbow after a gentle rain.

Then my mind goes to the array of colors that can be found in fruits and vegetables, grains, lean proteins and dairy.

I do a pretty good job of eating a wide variety of foods. Even so the idea of eating a rainbow helps me to go for more variety as I am wondering through the grocery store or the Farmers Market. If I look in my basket and see mostly green, I know I need to add some red, orange or yellow to balance it out. It is a simple idea that makes so much sense.

Since I photograph most of the dishes I make each week I have a food photo gallery to look at for the week past to see just how balanced I am eating. You might try taking a snap shot of your food for a week or jot it down in a notebook and see how you are doing eating a rainbow!

When I took a look back at this past week, I was amazed at all the healthy foods I ate. Of course some soups, stir fries and salads helped to get in so many vegetables. I eat fruit at breakfast, lunch and for snacks, so it is pretty easy to eat a rainbow when you stick with foods in their natural state!

The colors of the rainbow according to Wikipedia are red ,orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. I had to modify the rainbow colors just slightly in order to adapt it to food.

Orange-squash, carrots, papaya, sweet potatoes, mango, salmon, oranges, pumpkin, cheese and cuties

Red -red peppers, tomatoes, cherries, apples, red kidney beans, red lettuce, beets

Blue/Violet - blue berries, black berries

Green-kale, baby greens, romaine, celery, broccoli, spinach, green beans, asparagus, peas, cilantro

Yellow- bananas, polenta, corn tortillas,pineapple, yellow onions,

White - Greek yogurt, garlic, potatoes, milk, almond milk, coconut milk, chicken,turkey, tilapia, eggs,

Brown - (okay so brown isn’t in the rainbow) Farro, whole wheat bread, whole grain flat bread, whole grain pasta, oatmeal, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, and because they don’t fit anywhere else – black beans.

Happy Eating!

Tami

Add Your Thoughts

Are You Eating A Rainbow of Foods?

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Sharon says:

January 17, 2011 at 12:35 pm (UTC -7)

I learned the “rainbow” concept several years ago and always enjoy trying new colors! When you look beneath all the nasty stuff in the grocery store and pay attention to the “real” stuff, food is a beautiful and quite miraculous blessing for us to enjoy, isn’t it?

Tami, I don’t think I’ve missed any of your posts, but don’t recall you mentioning that Katie was safely back in Spain. I’m assuming that’s the case??
1. Tami says:
  
  January 18, 2011 at 7:41 am (UTC -7)
  
  You are so right about paying attention to the real stuff! Katy went back to Spain on January 7th. She is busy getting ready for finals. The Fall semester is still going. They have a very different schedule there. We are really missing her!
Karen says:

January 17, 2011 at 1:15 pm (UTC -7)

Don’t forget purple grapes! My day today was pretty dull colored except for my spaghetti squash and apple:) Both yummy.
1. Tami says:
  
  January 18, 2011 at 7:42 am (UTC -7)
  
  Oh, Karen this list was the foods I ate this past week! Didn’t have any purple grapes to eat! Some days my food intake is dull as well.
fittingbackin says:

January 17, 2011 at 1:16 pm (UTC -7)

Great post! I love the idea of eating a rainbow – i’m so much better in the summer with my fruits!! I need to do more veggies though and get in more rainbow!
erica @ fashionmeetsfood says:

January 17, 2011 at 4:14 pm (UTC -7)

I honestly had no idea about eating the rainbow! That’s horrible hey? I am definitely going to try to start eating the rainbow. Thanks so much for sharing this!

xo
1. Tami says:
  
  January 18, 2011 at 7:43 am (UTC -7)
  
  You are welcome Erica. It is a simple concept, yet it makes a big difference when shopping if you think about the colors of the food you are buying.
Jody - Fit at 53 says:

January 17, 2011 at 4:28 pm (UTC -7)

OK, amazing post & amazing pics & makes eating healthy look easy!!! Why don’t more people eat healthy. It all looks wonderful!
1. Tami says:
  
  January 18, 2011 at 7:44 am (UTC -7)
  
  Thank you Jody!
Cammy@TippyToeDiet says:

January 17, 2011 at 4:58 pm (UTC -7)

Yep, I’ve been doing the ‘rainbow check’ for a while now. I have trouble with blue/violet, but I’m excellent at all the other colors.
Marisa @ Loser for Life says:

January 17, 2011 at 5:09 pm (UTC -7)

I love when my plate is colorful! Seems when I happen to have too many white/beige foods on my plate, it doesn’t taste as good!
1. Tami says:
  
  January 18, 2011 at 7:44 am (UTC -7)
  
  I agree Marisa, it also looks terrible when it is mostly one color!
Judy says:

January 17, 2011 at 6:03 pm (UTC -7)

Hey Tami, I just spent over an hour browsing through your recipes! They all look so wonderful and I enjoy the photos!
I am setting my sights on making your kale chips in the next few days. I have never had kale and it seems like a wonder food–I will keep you posted on the outcome! Thanks for all of the information! I wish you could come be my personal chef!!
1. Tami says:
  
  January 18, 2011 at 7:48 am (UTC -7)
  
  Hi Judy! Thanks for the great feed back. So glad you are enjoying the recipes and the photos. It is fun for me to play with the camera!
  
  I love the Kale chips for something earthy and different. Kale is awesome in soup and that might be an easier way to get started with eating it.It is a wonder food for sure. Be sure to buy organic Kale, otherwise it is full of chemicals and you will counter all the good benefits of eating it.
  
  I wish we could cook together! What fun that would be. Be sure and report back what you thought of the kale chips.
  
  Happy Cooking!
Sheri says:

January 18, 2011 at 3:00 am (UTC -7)

The same light bulb came on for me about a week ago. I need to learn to eat a variety of fruits and veggies so I stop eating the sugary carbs that are so easy to grab and eat!

I bought my first butternut squash and loved it!!
Sunshine Mama says:

January 18, 2011 at 2:40 pm (UTC -7)

What a good idea! Who know rainbows were good to look at and even better to eat?
Andrea@WellnessNotes says:

January 20, 2011 at 5:21 am (UTC -7)

I love the photo! Beautiful! And I’m so glad that my comment stuck with you and inspired you… Also, thanks for the link!