Eat Right with Color

Splash some color on your plate! It's National Nutrition Month and the American Dietetic Association (ADA) encourages you to make healthy choices by incorporating a colorful variety of seasonal foods in your meals. Eating a rainbow of foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and dairy creates a palette of nutrients, each with a different bundle of benefits for your body.

Below is a color guide of foods and their benefits from the ADA website. Make a game of trying to get at least 3 of these colors on your plate at each meal!

Green produce indicates antioxidant potential and may help promote healthy vision and reduce cancer risks.

  • Fruits: avocado, apples, grapes, honeydew, kiwi and lime
  • Vegetables: artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, green peppers and leafy greens such as spinach

Orange and deep yellow fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that promote healthy vision and immunity, and reduce the risk of some cancers.

  • Fruits: apricot, cantaloupe, grapefruit, mango, papaya, peach and pineapple
  • Vegetables: carrots, yellow pepper, yellow corn and sweet potatoes

Purple and blue options may have antioxidant and anti-aging benefits and may help with memory, urinary tract health and reduced cancer risks.

  • Fruits: blackberries, blueberries, plums, raisins
  • Vegetables: eggplant, purple cabbage, purple-fleshed potato

Red indicates produce that may help maintain a healthy heart, vision, immunity and may reduce cancer risks.

  • Fruits: cherries, cranberries, pomegranate, red/pink grape fruit, red grapes and watermelon
  • Vegetables: beets, red onions, red peppers, red potatoes, rhubarb and tomatoes

White, tan and brown foods sometimes contain nutrients that may promote heart health and reduce cancer risks.

  • Fruits: banana, brown pear, dates and white peaches
  • Vegetables: cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, turnips, white-fleshed potato and white corn

For more information, visit the ADA website at: http://www.eatright.org

Written by our resident dietitian and nutrition advisor, Angela Stanford, MBA, RD, RYT.