With daffodils blooming and spring in the air it is the perfect time to make our lives more colourful. Wear some colour, eat more colour, look for colour in nature! Let’s try make our days brighter. Including more colour in your diet may make you feel brighter on the outside too. Colourful foods which generally include fruits and vegetables, contain many of the vitamins that we need. Along with maintaining good health, the nutrients in vegetables and fruits work together to protect against certain cancers, heart disease, digestive issues and other disease. If we feel good on the inside it only makes sense that we will feel better in the outside.
Did you know that research has shown that the brain uses colour to help us choose what to eat? And interestingly, red means go for it! Almost like an upside-down traffic light for the brain! Let’s think of some red foods… strawberries, peppers, tomatoes and cranberries. All tasty options with lots of nutritional benefits. What all red foods have in common is that they contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that can reduce risk of some cancers and heart disease. Strawberries are full of vitamin C, potassium, folic acid and fibre. Peppers and tomatoes also contain vitamins A and C which help support the immune system.
Yellow and orange colours are considered to make you hungry and green and earthy colours are thought to promote an organic or eco-friendly feeling. So, what about green and yellow foods? Green foods contain cholorphyll. One rule of thumb is that the more chlorophyll a vegetable has the more magnesium it contains. Greens are also good sources of folate, vitamin K and iron. Yellow and green foods also contain a compound called lutein which is beneficial for eye health.
Interestingly blue is meant to reduce appetite and is often used in weight loss campaigns but what about blue foods? Not very many to choose from …. Blueberries, aubergine & plums although some may argue they are more purple! What they do all contain are a compound called anthocyanin which have heart health benefits. So, let’s sweep away those winter blues with lots of bright colours to bring us towards more positive days ahead.
