Choose a rainbow of fruits and veg
Different colours reflect different nutrients
Variety is key to healthy eating and the easiest way to make sure you have a good mix of fruits and vegetables is to look at the colours.
Different colours reflect the different nutrients, so choosing a rainbow of fruits and vegetables helps to ensure you get all the vitamins and minerals you need.
- Orange fruits and vegetables
Including mango, cantaloupe, carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato and squash. According to a study documented in The New York Times, people with high blood levels of alpha-carotene – an antioxidant found in orange fruits and vegetables – live longer and are less likely to die of heart disease and cancer than people who have little or none of it in their bloodstream.
- Red fruits and vegetables
Including tomato, capsicum, beetroot, red apples, chilli, watermelon and rhubarb. Scarlet fruits contain nutrients such as lycopene, ellagic acid, quercetin, and hesperidin, to name a few. These nutrients reduce the risk of prostate cancer, lower blood pressure, reduce tumour growth and LDL cholesterol levels, scavenge harmful free-radicals, and support joint tissue in arthritis cases.
- Yellow fruits and vegetables
Including lemon, banana, corn, yellow capsicum, yellow summer squash and yellow tomato. Packed with vitamin C, which helps to boost your immunity and lower blood pressure and cortisol (the stress-hormone) levels. They also contain beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, flavonoids, lycopene and potassium. These nutrients reduce age-related macula degeneration and the risk of prostate cancer, lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, promote collagen formation and healthy joints, fight harmful free radicals, encourage alkaline balance, and work with magnesium and calcium to build healthy bones.
- Green fruits and vegetables
Including broccoli, beans, spinach, lettuce, rocket and asparagus. Green vegetables contain chlorophyll, fibre, lutein, zeaxanthin, calcium, folate, vitamin C, calcium, and beta-carotene. The nutrients found in these vegetables lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels, normalise digestion time, support retinal health and vision, fight harmful free-radicals, reduce cancer risks, and boost immune system activity.
- Blue and purple fruits and vegetables
Including berries, grapes, eggplant and olives. Filled with resveratrol, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. Nutrients found in blues and purples have been found to support retinal health, lower LDL cholesterol, boost immune system activity, support healthy digestion, improve calcium and other mineral absorption, fight inflammation, reduce tumour growth, act as an anti-carcinogen in the digestive tract, and limit the activity of cancer cells.
- White fruits and vegetables
Including mushrooms, potato, parsnip and garlic Contain nutrients such as beta-glucans, EGCG, SDG, and lignans that provide powerful immune boosting activity. These nutrients also activate natural killer B and T cells, reduce the risk of colon, breast, and prostate cancers, and balance hormone levels, reducing the risk of hormone-related cancers.
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