Cheer up Your Diet and Your Body

By adding a splash of brilliant colours to your plate…Yes, red, oranges, green, yellows, blues and purples. Aim to get as many of these into YOU as possible…

When you have an array of colours on the plate or in a glass whatever the case may be, your meal is instantly much more appetising. This means your digestive juices will be stimulated easily and you as a result will be better able to digest your food. You will feel good after eating them especially if you juice them, make smoothie or have a plate stacked high with various salads leaves!

The different coloured fruit and vegetables are high in different unique pigments or components (very scientific names) which we will not go into here but these foods are gems of nature and are enriched with different nutrients. Flavonoids, beta carotenes, chlorophyll, fibre, minerals, vitamins, micro nutrients and much more.

All of these forms of nutrients are critical and necessary for healthy mind and bodily functions. By opting for all of these or as many as possible on a regular basis you are providing your body with many of the essential tools it needs to firstly reduce inflammation in the body. Inflammation in the body causes pain. They also stabilize and balance the body’s immune system by supporting white blood cells. This is crucial in defending your body against sickness and disease. Beta carotene is a powerful antioxidant that is good for your whole body and a healthy heart. It is converted in the body to Vitamin A which is essential for healthy vision.

Increase more ‘REDS’ into your daily routine, these include, beets, cherries, blood oranges, cranberries, pomegranates, peppers, chillies, strawberries, tomatoes, red onions, red potatoes, radishes, red apples….

YELLOW/ORANGE: Apricots, butternut squash, mangoes, papaya, carrots, peaches, pineapples, sweet potatoes, sweetcorn, pumpkin, oranges,

Greens: leafy greens, kale, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, herbs like parsley, coriander, chives etc

BLUE/PURPLE..blackcurrants, grapes, prunes, plums, blueberries, purple cabbage, and many more.

Whites: cauliflower /white turnip immediately comes to mind, both great for you, all other whites like bread, pasta, rice, white potatoes enjoy ONLY occasionally! It is best not to have these foods everyday as they are concentrated starch, which clog and congest.

Don’t forget frozen fruit and vegetables…they retain the majority of their nutritional value, you can juice them too or make a smoothie out of them. The use of fruits and vegetables are really so versatile you can have them in an abundance of ways…have them in salads, juicy side dishes, soups, omelettes, rice dishes, platters and so on… Go on use your imagination and make your plate much more colourful…Opt for organic, locally grown where possible. If using dried fruits ensure they are free from artificial sweeteners.

Eat lots and lots and lots of different types of fruit and veg and keep yourself healthy!