Brighten Your Immune System By Eating The Rainbow

We all want to stay healthy. A balanced diet is the foundation for good health and an immune system that functions well.

A strong immune system can help you fight pesky virus and invasive bacteria. Nutrients such as zinc, iron, selenium and Vitamins such as A,C,D, E, B-6 and B-9 (folate), may help your immune system’s response to pathogens. 

Most restaurants are closed, so we are left to reorient ourselves back into our kitchens. Having a strong relationship with food and cooking at home is a sure way to stay safe and healthy during these troubled times. A diversity of vegetables eaten with healthy fats, quality protein and seasoned with fresh herbs and spices will give you the building blocks for a healthy immunity. 

When choosing what vegetables to eat, a simple and effective way to approach it is to eat a rainbow of colors. Different colors represent different nutrients that are important to our bodies. Color diversity is key to making sure you are getting all of the right nutrients for your body. 

Yellow

Yellow and orange vegetables such as carrots and pumpkins are very high in antioxidants, like vitamins A and C, and contain carotenoids, which give the yellow-orange colour to these vegetables. 

Green

Everyone knows the expression: eat your greens! Green vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and are a good source of fiber. Eating a diet rich in leafy greens can offer numerous health benefits including reduced risk of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure. Since we know the coronavirus exploits underlying conditions (comorbidities), keeping your heart and vascular system happy is important!  

Red

Red vegetables protect our heart and contain lycopine, which is becoming more and more studied for its beneficial role in our diets. Lycopine has been found to reduce the risk of cancers of the prostate, pancreas.

White

White vegetables are good sources of potassium, magnesium and fiber. Mushrooms, potatoes, cauliflower and turnips and other plants found on the white spectrum contain nutrients known to lower the level of bad cholesterol in your body as well as lower high blood pressure. They have a great immune boosting effect on your body. Nutrients found in white vegetables minimize the risk of colon, prostate and breast cancer as well. 

Blue & Purple

Blue and purple fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, purple cabbage, purple potatoes and eggplant, are rich in micronutrients and reportedly more nutritionally dense. 

The next time you brave a trip to the market, be sure that you have all of your colors covered and you will have the best results at home staying healthy. Did you get some red tomatoes fro your green leafy salad? Wouldn’t some yellow peppers taste great sautéed with your mushrooms and broccoli? 

 This simple guide to eating by color is just one way to assure yourself of a healthy and functioning immune system.