Throughout much of the 21st century, health experts worldwide have repeatedly posed one question -what truly constitutes a balanced diet? Some say it requires counting calories, while others argue our diets should follow the food pyramid. Some even suggest skipping certain meals of the day! Nonetheless, you may have noticed that many of these propositions require you to put in the extra effort; go an extra mile to ensure what’s on your plate is healthy when in reality, it’s anything but.
If you’ve ever experienced or heard of Ireland and its culture, chances are you’ve heard the infamous Irish phrase - “There’s always a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow!”. In fact, this article, along with several other contemporary nutritionists, are going to tell you the exact same thing; eat with the colours of the rainbow in mind, and you’ll guarantee yourself a pot of gold at the end of it all - impeccable health.
Presenting the colour-coded diet.
To truly apply a diet based on colourism, we first need to realise that fruits and vegetables aren’t colourful by accident. There is a clear, definitive reason why apples are red, grapes are purple, and peas are green. In fact, their pigments derive from a group of highly beneficial antioxidants called carotenoids, whose main purpose is to eliminate harmful free radicals in the body. Although the colour of different fruits shows the unique job various antioxidants perform, keep in mind that the deeper the hue, the higher the nutrient value.
Furthermore, just like many of us have favourite colours that we lean towards, it’s a good idea to favour some colours over others when choosing what’s going to go on your plate. Treat your plate as a colouring page in which you fill up different colours, but not coloured so vibrant such that the sky’s painted pink - you want to ensure that some elements are guaranteed on your ‘page’ no matter what.
Luckily for you, we’ve summarised this through a colour key below - notice that hues which lean towards meat and poultry are far less beneficial than fruits and vegetables the same colour, or even its substitutes.
Moreover, it’s important to note that when we consume foods of one colour, we ingest one type of carotenoid which targets only one ailment or prevents one from occurring - as seen, a mixture of antioxidants is the most effective. Green and orange should represent the largest proportion of our diet, with red and white being the least, as shown in the following diagram:
Clearly, counting the colours on your plate is far simpler than counting calories. If you’re trying to lose weight and enhance your overall well-being, then this is the diet for you! You should also cut down on meat consumption and ensure a myriad of fruits and vegetables on your plate. If you’d like a further incentive, meat consumption has time and time again been proved as detrimental to the environment - without getting into the gory details; in short, cutting down on this would be good for your body and the environment around it too! What more could you possibly ask for?
Written by Aiswarya Rambhatla
Edited by Kadence Wong