Food and Color
ood, color and our bodies have the light spectrum in common. Rainbows result from light refraction after a shower. Plants produce colorful herbs, fruits, and vegetables from light and water. Our bodies are fused with color at each energy center in the exact same order as refracted light.
The phrase "eat a rainbow" has become more popular in its reference to eating fruits and vegetables of all colors.
A lot of these posters are circulating on Facebook encouraging consumers to be more aware of foods and their properties.
The first reference I heard about “eating colors” was Dr. Edwin Babbitt who wrote about color in the late 19th century. His work more specifically involved using colors to heal internal organs.
Others preceded Dr. Babbitt and this work is under review to find how far back information on
food and color originates.
Another name for eating colors is the Rainbow Diet which developed a lot of guidelines that could be applied to any food plan:
+ select organic produce, and
+ reduce refined, processed and genetically modified products.
You can plan a complete intake over three meals using food and color to get the essential nutrients and dietary fiber you require.
Red Fruits and Vegetables
The Red foods include tomato; guava; pink grapefruit; beets; cherries; cranberries; pomegranates; red bell peppers, and plums. The Red foods contain fiber, vitamins, and phytonutrients called anthocyanins and licopene,antioxidants that protects against cancer.
Orange Fruits and Vegetables
The Orange foods include pumpkin; sweet potato; mango; apricot; carrot, and cantaloupe. The Orange foods contain beta-carotene, Vitamin A’s precursor. It has a beneficial effect on the eyes, skin, and may protect against certain cancers.
Orange/Yellow Fruits and Vegetables
The Orange/Yellow foods include papaya; passion fruit; pineapple; orange bell pepper;
persimmon, and lemon. Orange foods contain are also rich in beta-carotene.
Green Fruits and Vegetables
The Green foods include okra; peas; cabbage; callaloo; broccoli; kale, and herbs. Green foods contain lutein which strengthens bones and the immune system. This helps prevent cancer, heart disease and birth defects.
Blue and Purple Fruits and Vegetables
The Blue, Purple foods include blueberries; plums; grapes; prunes, and raisins. Blue/Purple foods contain anthycyanins which prevent memory loss, protect against cancer, stroke, heart disease, and promotes urinary health.
Brown Foods
Brown foods include grains; nuts, and seeds and contain phytonutrients that reduce risk of some cancers, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
White and Tan Fruits and Vegetables
White/Tan foods include garlic; ginger; onions; bok choy, and banana. They contain anthoxanthins that lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and reduces probability of stomach cancer.
An easy food program of fruits and vegetables includes eating a serving in each color each day. There are so many selections you can probably avoid the foods you dislike and adventurous to taste those you have not tried.
Avoid Creating Food Allergies
I apply other things to developing a food plan.
Avoid creating food allergies by eating the food once in four days, the time it takes for a food to be eliminated from the body. I learned about food rotation when I decided to eliminate meat from my diet when I began listening to Dr. Gary Null’s radio program almost thirty years ago. If you consume a food too often, you may risk developing a food allergy.
Two types of allergies can develop: the acute type where the negative reactions persist for a short period of time. The other is the chronic type of allergy where the negative reaction appears immediately. For example, I ate pink grapefruit every day when I was a child for several years. If I ate it today, my body would produce a lot of mucus, a physical reaction.
An allergic reaction could also be a
noticeable or subtle change in mood and behavior. The only way to avoid chronic allergic
reactions is to not consume the food again.
The Blood Type Diet
Peter D’Adamo, author of Eat Right for Your Blood Type; Live Right for Your Blood Type, etc. advanced the work of his father on blood type. There is doubt about the effectiveness of this blood type application. The tests have only been applied to the American diet, not to any other diet on the planet. Until that is done, the endorsement on this approach will be limited to testimonials of those who have had success with it.
All of the different combinations in colors make for an exciting way to create meals. Add to that various methods of preparation by sautéing, steaming, baking, pan frying, or as Nature intended, raw.
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